


May I have this Dance?

by sidereal_11



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien and Marinette didn't know each other until this intensive, Dance Intensive AU, F/M, First fan fiction ever gosh lets hope I don't mess this up, Plagg and Tikki Human AU, They are like awkward 18 year olds now, breakdance au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2020-12-02 00:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20945639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidereal_11/pseuds/sidereal_11
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a typical girl who is striving to become a dance icon. Adrien Agreste, your not so typical boy who is already a dancing icon who can't seem to catch a break. Both of them however meet suddenly when they attend a dancing intensive in London. Only to find that when they are there that they have both been invited to a confidential break dancing club held beneath the streets. Competition grows, relationships begin to bloom, and chaos ensues.





	1. London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _London By: Mokita_

Marinette winces loudly as she stumbles to the ground, her legs knocking hard against the marley floors. Only for her wince to increase when she hears Chloè’s snickers from across the dance room. Marinette’s shoulders slump in defeat, but immediately stands up when she hears the sharp and loud voice of the dance coordinator. 

“Everyone up and at the bar,” she says hastily, all the dancers are up on there feet now. All slowly walking over to the bar that was aligning the mirrored wall because they knew what was coming next. And they were never prepared for it even if they tried. 

“Aww you guys already know what time it is,” the dance coordinator teases, scoffing at all of them as they turn to look at her with mourningful expressions on their faces. 

“Does that mean that you’ll let us skip it today because we were so obedient?” A dancer mumbles sarcastically, not intending to be heard. Only to jump when she catches the dance coordinator sending a glare her way. 

“Nope, don’t dream of it. And just because you said that,” the dance coordinator muses raising an eyebrow at the dancers. “I’m going to add in just a few extra fondues.” Most of the dancers groaned only to stop abruptly when she added, “and don’t make me add more!” 

The dancers quickly join with the bar, bending their legs and pointing their toes and doing all front, middle, and back fondues. Making Marinette internally scream at herself because this could have been prevented if she had just landed that dang turn. 

“Keep going, we aren’t done yet,” the dancer coordinator says, not earning any groans out of the dancers because they were all too out of breath to even suppress a sigh. 

The sound of the door opening distracts the students for only a mere second until they see who’s behind it. 

“Why welcome Plagg, make yourself at home,” the dance coordinator greets with a growing grin. 

Plagg just laughs at her, “Trixx, I literally sleep here, this is my home.” And accompanies here with a little fist bump. “Eh, fondues,” Plagg notes, scanning the dance floors that are filled with multiple exhausted dancers. “How long have you been torturing them for?”

Trixx glances down at her watch and tilts her head to the side, “Only about four and a half minutes now.” 

Plagg sneers, leaning up against the wall. “That isn’t even near torture.”

Trixx just quickly rolls her eyes, and fiddles with her fingers. “Ya know I learned all of this from you.”

“I know. Making the students do extra relevés at the end of class if they ever messed up or complained. I’m just such a great teacher, aren’t I?” Plagg scoffs, his hands gesturing to himself. 

Trixx’s shoulders rose up and down as she laughs silently. Then says, “Well if you’re here then, I’m going to go pack up for the day. There all yours.” Trixx skips out of the classroom, mocking her students as she bent down and did one fondue and then a simple calypso leap through the door then was gone. Which left the dancers with only themselves and the most brutal dance coach out of the whole dance studio. 

Plagg chuckles to himself, popping his knuckles, and looks over the room full of students evilly. “Alrighty students... lets have some _fun_.”

~

“Oh my gosh Plagg is a _demon_,” Marinette mutters, carefully adjusting her spot on her bed. 

Alya snorts on her laptop screen. “As you’ve told me, many, many times.” Marinette moans as she grabs her pillow, putting it in between her legs and resting her head on it, blowing her bangs out of her face so she could see Alya on the screen. 

“Have you soaked yet?” Alya asks, as she sketches something down. Marinette sunk deeper into her pillow. 

“Twice.”

Alya laughs, setting down her notebook and looking at her friend through the screen. “Oof, that bad huh? Have you iced it too?” 

Marinette nods glumly. 

“Well hopefully it’ll be better in the morning, just rest up for the night,” Alya suggests, adjusting the camera as she moved her laptop from her desk to her bed. 

Marinette scoffs bringing her lap top closer to her, and adds, “lets sure as heck hope so. My calves are burning. And if the rest of this dance intensive is like this, I don’t know if I’ll survive.”

“I’m sure things will get better, I mean it’s only been the first four days right? I bet you won’t be working on technique for the whole ten weeks, and if you are then, well, rip Mari,” Alya says fondly, giving her friend a bit of a smirk. 

“Shush, you are not helping,” Marinette says, playfully reaching to push the end call button. 

“Okay! Okay! You win! Keep complaining, and I’ll keep making fun of your annoying rambling quietly,” Alya quickly shouts her defeat, waving her hands up and down in front of the camera. 

Marinette purses her lips, narrowing her eyes on her friend in teasingful manner. “How did you even manage becoming my friend again?”

Alya let’s out a quick exhaled breath, shaking her head amusingly. “Um, says you. Everyone knows that I was one of the most popular girls in middle school. You are just one lucky person who I managed being friends with at the time,” Alya protests with a snicker and her hands gesturing to herself. 

“Uh huh,” Marinette deadpans, staring at her friend with an unreadable expression. 

“Yeah I befriended the weird girl who was always practicing relevés out in the courtyard, and drawing designs in that pink sketchbook of hers, and always smelled so good with this faint sugary smell and-“

“Psh alright, I know, I know, I’m just grand. And how in the world would you survive without me?” Marinette boats, raising her head from her pillow to show her friend her undoubtedly wonderful boasting face. That caused Alya to burst into a fit of dying laughter.  
Marinette shoves her face back into her pillow. “Speaking of relevés, Plagg made us to those for a whole straight, I don’t even know, it felt like he made us do those for the entire class session,” Marinette complains through her pillow. 

Alya nods pinching her lips together as she examined her debilitated friend. “Oh Mari, like I literally just said you did relevés outside in the middle of the school day for fun. This stuff should be easy for you,” Alya chides, shifting to get in her covers after she turned off her lamp on her bedpost. 

Marinette let out a long muffled sigh. Not even looking up from her pillow she slowly mumbles, “I’ve only been here for four days, an-and I have never felt so out of place. These people surrounding me are all so, so, so talented and-“

“Woah, girl, first of all if Chloè could make it into this fancy dance intensive then anyone could. And second, Mari, you are so talented. And don’t you freaking forget it girl because I can’t skype you all the time to remind you,” Alya interrupts her, being fully confident in what she was saying, which made Marinette feel just a little pillar of hope fill her. 

“Well... thanks Al. I really appreciate it,” Marinette speaks softly, finally lifting her face from her pillow to smile gratefully at her friend. 

“Of course, girl, you know I meant every single word,” Alya whispers, putting her hand up to the screen. 

Marinette mimics her actions, putting her own hand to the screen. So the two friends could feel each other’s presence, even though they were hundreds of miles away from each other. Marinette closes her eyes, shaking her head, suddenly feeling the exhaustion and all her mixed emotions dawn on her. 

“Wow, and here I was a few months ago thinking that at this time I would be hanging out with you at some slumber party or something,” Marinette breathes, using her free hand to wipe her eyes. Because most of her right now wanted to be nowhere else except with her best friend. 

“Now don’t you get all soft on me. You were given this scholarship for a reason, this opportunity for a reason, you are at this dance intensive for a reason, Mari. And I know that I’m going to miss my best friend so much this summer, but I know one thing for sure is that they are so lucky to have my best friend there,” Alya explains contently, watching her best friends every move. Marinette nods, biting the bottom of her lip. “Your the best, Alya.”

“Now get some shut eye, from the looks of it you need it... badly.” 

“Shut up,” Marinette says, sticking her tongue out at her. Alya returns the same gesture. 

“Well goodnight girl. I have journalism class at six tomorrow morning so I need to hit the hay,” Alya says, yawning loudly. 

“Alright, I miss you so much,” Marinette starts, her hand pressing the screen tighter now. “Get some good sleep, Al.”

“Miss you tons and keep trying, things will get better eventually. Goodnight, love,” Alya encourages, and just like that her friend’s face slowly fades from the screen. Leaving Marinette with a blank screen that says _call with thicc foxy <3_ ended, and her thoughts. She takes in a slow wavering breath, turning her head around her temporary bedroom. Definitely not like the one she is used to having at home. That consistent warm homey feeling that would fill her heart as she snuggled deeper into the her sheets every night, the aromas that would travel from all the daily baked goods up into her bedroom that could increase her mood in a millisecond, the magazine clippings and pictures plastered all over the walls of places she yearned to travel and pieces of clothing she strived to make. 

She could still remember all of that.

But here. Marinette turns her head around the empty bedroom yet again. Cold and dark. And even if it was hard for her to admit… it was lonesome. What she would give just to be able to have one of her Papa’s bear hugs right now, or a simple peck on the cheek from her mother. 

Yes, she had roommates that were literally right in the room next to her, and if she really needed to see them she could simply get up and step out into the tiny apartment hallway to knock on one of their doors. But she wasn’t really close to them, definitely not close to one of them in particular. She shared this apartment with three other dancing majors, who probably shared their love of dance as much as she did. 

Rose, she was the first one she met. Awfully friendly and is probably the sweetest out of the four of them. Marinette already liked her, Rose was a very optimistic person who tried to see the best in everyone. And Marinette admired her very much for that. 

Alix, she had a definite fiery personality. She was confident in about everything she does, the only thing Marinette noticed she lacked the confidence in was her cooking ability. So she often found Alix eating take out from a restaurant more often than not. 

And then there was, Chloè. Out of all people, _Chloè_, was chosen to be one of her roommates. And Marinette was almost entirely convinced that Chloè was one of the main reasons she wanted to quit this dance intensive before she could finally get into liking it. Marinette just prayed they could keep their distance or maybe, just maybe, even out the water between the two of them. 

Marinette blinks, breaking her out of her own thoughts that were consuming her. All the dreadful emotions that were tugging at her gut were only making her feel worse. She let out a quick exasperated sigh, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. Then flops heavily onto her bed, only to be reminded of the pain that struck in her lower back and legs. 

Marinette didn’t care that it was about eleven o’clock at night. Feeling the sting in her legs sent her clear off the edge of patience, and there was no way she would be able to climb back on for awhile. 

“OW! Gosh dANG IT-”

Let’s just say her roommates were a bit more than concerned. 

~

Marinette stumbles out of her room, trying her best to keep in her cries of pain as she pulls on her flats and grabs her pointe shoe bag. With her last Dupain-Cheng Bakery croissant in her mouth--that she had taken from her parents bakery before she left for the dance intensive-- she bounds out of her apartment and sprints to the dance studio. Which thankfully wasn’t too far away due to the apartment building being only a block or so away from the large dance rehearsal studio. 

Marinette waits impatiently at a stoplight, tapping her foot up and down, chewing on her croissant louder than she should have been. But I mean, who could blame her when it was five in the morning?

Marinette turns her head to look up and down the street, with zero cars to be found. She shook her head, as she pops the last bit of the croissant into her mouth. And after looking at the red hand for about the hundredth time, she decides to take a risk. 

She took off across the crosswalk, her flats tapping madly as she tried to cross the large street as fast as possible. She was halfway there, halfway to being an actual breaker of the law by jay-walking, (which she was surprised she was actually doing at this point when she should have just kept waiting like a normal person) and halfway closer to being to the place she needed to be. 

And that’s when she saw the car headlights.

Marinette screams, jumping back and covering her face from the impact that would most surely end her life. Shuddering in her place on the nearly deserted crosswalk. Just, the impact never came. 

She slowly opens one of her eyes, only to be blinded by the headlights and causing her to shut her eyes again. Gosh dang it Mari, she inwardly curses herself. Curse her lopsided luck. Alya always claimed Marinette had phenomenal luck, after not breaking her leg when she had fallen off that ten foot ladder when she was helping Papa paint the bakery, or when she had somehow aced that test she didn’t even know it was about, but Marinette often thought of her luck differently. 

Yes, she was lucky sometimes. But when she was not lucky is when her life hits bottom real, real quick. Her luck was either good, or downright rotten. No inbetween. Alya always protested that she was a ladybug, and her luck would spread to others around her. Welp, if she was a ladybug right now... she was a cursed one that’s for sure. 

“Miss? Hello? Are you even listening to me?” A lady snaps her back to reality, and now Marinette realizes she’s on the ground in front of the car. Marinette sits up instantly, looking up at the lean, tall lady that is adorned in sleek business attire.

“Uh-I… wh-” Marinette starts, only to be cut off. 

“Do you know how expensive this car is?” The lady asks sternly, eyeing the car behind her then turning her head back to Marinette. 

Marinette unsurely shakes her head. 

“Well let me tell you, that it is indeed one of the most high class limousines on Earth. And having it screech to a stop like that isn’t going to help it one bit. Listen girl, don’t be running out in the middle of the road like that again because others who are driving might not act as kindly as we did,” the lady finishes harshly, pulling her on suit sleeve then turning to leave back to her car. Her gray eyes still narrow on Marinette in an elderly glare as she returns to the limo. The lady whispers to herself, “...stupid child.” 

“I… I am so sorry ma’am, it…” Marinette begins to say, her voice wavering. Her mind trying to decide whether she was meant to hear the previous comment the lady had said. She clutches onto her pointe shoe bag. Maybe it was the feeling of power once she had her pointe shoes back in her grasp, that she was exhausted and didn’t know what she was saying, or maybe it was the stress and pressure that she has had on her shoulders from being here in the first place. But she snaps. “It won’t happen again. And as for being kind, I think you need a few lessons on that yourself.” Marinette’s eyes harden looking at the lady, and then turns to bolt away before anything else could be said. 

Marinette never looks back. 

But little did she know, a certain blonde boy was watching her every move from inside the limo. And he has never seen someone with quite this charm. 

~

_To: thicc foxy <3_  
From: lady luck<3  
Bruh, I just insulted an old rich lady and I feel so guilty about it. 

~

Marinette leaned her foot against the wall, stretching out her ankles before she has to go into pointe class. After stretching out a little on her own, she finally took out her pointe shoes, that had been calling her name for practically the whole morning. She lifts her foot into the pointe shoe carefully, lacing it up, and doing the same thing to the other foot. Doing this process somehow calms her, almost as if she was turning into a whole new person. A person who feels just a bit more confident about the journey that lies ahead. She then got up and stands up on her toes, feeling better already. 

She begins to walk to put away her stuff, looking down as she zips up her pointe shoe bag, only to bump straight into someone’s chest. She flies backwards with a surprised shout , unbalanced from the force she had just ran into. Right as she was about to topple backwards onto the ground, a firm hand grabs her and pulls her back to her feet. 

She hears a light chuckle. “I thought ballerina’s were supposed to be graceful?”

She doesn’t look up at the person, as she brushes invisible dust off her leotard. “Haha, very funny, well I guess...” Marinette says and looks up, only to pause her sentence with a squeak. 

Because standing right in front of her, with his own hand holding onto hers was none other than _Adrien Agreste_. She, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had just fallen head first into a dancing model’s chest. 

“A-Adrien?!” she squeaks, stepping back and quickly taking her own hand out of his grasp. He gives her a half smile, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. 

“Hey,” he greets with a beaming smile. “I didn’t know I would run into crosswalk lady so soon.”

Marinette can’t find the words to talk to him, what was he even talking about? As she was about to respond with her mouth open to question him, he chuckles to himself lightly, and all words die on her tongue and stay there. Leaving Marinette staring at him with her jaw dropped, and not looking in the way she wanted to at the moment. 

Adrien Agreste, the Adrien Agreste, had just caught her. The most-likely world known dancing machine had just caught her. And she can’t even utter a word to him. 

“A...wha-” Marinette stops herself from speaking, pinching her lips together in an unladylike way. “Cr-crosswalk, la-lady?” she mutters, biting the inside of her cheek, just praying that she didn’t look like a total lunatic. 

Adrien slowly lowers his hand from his neck, suppressing a sigh to himself. “That’s right, you probably didn’t see me. It was dark out there anyways, and I was in the back seat.”

Marinette tilts her head slightly, the most quizzical expression on her face. In all her honesty, she wasn’t even paying attention to the words he was saying because her thoughts were so trained on his face. But then it suddenly clicks for her. 

“Oh my gosh,” Marinette mumbles, her bluebell eyes going wide as she peers at Adrien. The limo, the lady dressed in fancy business attire, Adrien… it all dawns on her like a bag of bricks was falling right on top of her. “You were in the limo?!” she shrieks, her hands flying up to dig her hands straight into her skull, most likely messing up her bun she did this morning. 

“Bingo,” Adrien says with a laugh, popping his lips as he emphasized the consonants. Marinette couldn’t remember how to breathe, how to stand, how to talk, how to live. She sucks in a quick trembling breath. 

She opens her mouth as if she was about to protest to him, but then hesitates and falters with a defeated exhale of air. Something flashes across her eyes, her lips suddenly turning downwards, as her eyes find their way to her pointe shoes. “I… I’m sorry, how I acted towards your…” Marinette pauses, an image of the lady with that streak of red in her hair that she had sassed a little under an hour ago. “Um, assistant. That was rude, an-and I won’t bother you again. I’m, I’m sorry.” 

Marinette quickly pushes past him, not wanting to dig deeper into her pit of embarrassment. Her eyes looking forward to her dance classroom that she would be mourning in for about the next hour and a half. But something stops her from getting there. 

“Hey,” Adrien soothes, grabbing her shoulder before she can walk any further. She stops in her tracks, the blood flow in her cheeks beginning to rise. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I actually thought it was quite hilarious, usually Natalie is the one doing the sassing and bossing around. It was a good change of things for her finally getting a taste of her own medicine,” he declares softly, as his shoulders tilt up. 

Marinette’s head slowly turns over her shoulder, revealing the soft look Adrien had for her. She swears she could feel her heart beating right out of her chest. She finds enough courage in her to smile. “Heh… well I have always been one to make sure people get their justice served.”

Adrien’s smile grew, as his hand lowers from her shoulder and he holds it out towards her. “Now, uh, I don’t think we’ve properly met?” he asks sheepishly.

Marinette turns around to face him, eyeing his hand for a moment before shaking it with her own. “I’m Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Adrien, Adrien Agreste,” he returns. 

“Wow, I’ve definitely never ever heard of that name before in my life,” Marinette says with a toothy grin, then pursing her lips as she takes her hand away and walks towards her classroom. 

Leaving Adrien smiling to watch her walk ahead of him. “Hm, Marinette,” he whispers, looking down at the bag he was clutching in his hands. He looks back up at her as she walks into her classroom, suddenly making him feel a little prick of joy noticing it was the class he was attending right at this moment. He grins as he nods to himself. “_Marinette_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY! Welcome to my first fan fiction in the span of ever. I am actually really surprised that this is really happening and I'm posting actual writing onto the internet. ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy the story, and buckle up it's gonna be a bumpy ride folks! So I hope you join this journey along with Marinette, Adrien, and I! And comment as well, I really enjoy interacting with my readers! I plan to try to post the every chapter about every week, Love ya'll! :)  
<3//sidereal


	2. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Friends By: Justin Bieber_

“Bro please tell me you’ve made at least some human interaction with someone other than your conscience,” Nino pleads through the camera.

Adrien rolls his eyes at him, shifting in his bed covers. “Psh says you, I bet you haven’t even attempted talking to anyone at your classes yet,” Adrien claims.

Nino just stares at him, no emotion on his face whatsoever. “I’m not a famous dancer boy who should be able to make friends with the wink of his eyes-”

“Hold up, _wink_ of his eyes? What is this?” Adrien questions with a quirked brow, as the light from his computer illuminates his features. 

“Bro, can you like be quiet for like one minute as I try to accomplish my dreams of being a poet?” Nino says sarcastically, bringing his head closer to the camera in a mocking manner. 

“Um, first of all, no, no I can not. And second, if your dream was sounding like a two year old attempting to act as a poet, then you’d be going places,” Adrien states, nodding to himself with complete surety.

Nino narrows his eyes on him. “I hate you so much.”

“You love me.”

“Nope not even a little.”

“You love me _so_ much.”

“Okay, yes I love you. But there’s got to be some other people in this world that love you too. That’s why I’m saying, have you met anyone you’ve just felt you could be bros with?” Nino asks. 

“But you are my bro,” Adrien pouts, with his lip sticking out. 

“Oh my gosh, you are hopeless,” Nino says, pulling down on his hat. “But like, dude, _seriously_, has anyone stuck out to you there? Someone new?” He almost sounds desperate, just longing that Adrien at least had someone there to help him. 

Adrien smiles warmly at the concern that flashes across his friend’s face; Nino really does always have his back. His thoughts drift back to the previous events that had happened that day, a hand coming up to the side of his head in thought. His lips began to turn upward slightly. “Um, I… guess you could say I met someone,” he says hesitantly, trying to hold back his growing grin. 

Nino perks up, a smile coating his features, grabbing his laptop and putting it closer to his face. “And…? Come on, give me the deets! Who is it?” Nino pushes, his concern now melting away as excitement and curiosity replace it. 

Adrien tilts his head to the side, his hand slowly lowering to his face. His insides pinching at his gut as he hopes he doesn’t regret saying this. “Um…” Adrien wavers, biting back to keep from laughing as his friend waits impatiently. “It’s… a girl-”

“-my boyyyyy, ooOOHHH!” Nino interjects with a childish scream, the camera going blurry as Nino shakes it up and down as he jumps in his bed. “I knew my boy could do it! I knew my boy could make friends! And it’s a _girl_!”

Adrien sits there, not surprised at his friend’s behavior, but not really enjoying it nonetheless. Nino has always been pushing to make him join one of those dating sites ever since Nino found out that Adrien—who was a famous ballet dancer, who was practically known for his looks and moves—had never once in his entire _life_ had a girlfriend. Sure, he would meet someone who he would like for their personality and attitude towards him, but he’s never really found a girl who he had actually clicked with. And Nino was determined to be the one to find Adrien’s true love. 

Adrien isn't too sure about that. 

Adrien coughs casually, still watching his friend rumble around on his bed as he yells happily, “Adrien talked to a girl! An actual girl, blESS THIS DAY!” 

Adrien smacks his lips together, and then separates them, his hand setting on top of his computer top. “Welp, this was just a _joyful_ conversation, Nino. I’m going to go now, so ta-ta good-”

“BRUH NO!” Nino sputters, quitting his ‘praying hands’ and calming himself in front of the camera. “Please, um, tell me more?” Nino asks, his once laid-back demeanor returning.

Adrien removes his hand from the laptop, now content with talking to his friend again. “Thank you very much,” he says, adjusting his position and clearing his throat. “Now, uh… about… her.” Nino’s head bobs up and down ecstatically. “She’s definitely something different. Her names Marinette-”

“Is she pretty?”

Adrien shoots his friend a glare. 

“Okay. Fine. I’ll stop interjecting and shut up now.”

“She’s in some of the same prep classes with me, as we start auditioning for the final performance at the end of the summer. But she doesn’t act like I’m some top-notch celebrity guy like everyone else does, she… treats me as if I’m a real person, and I think that’s kind of different.” Adrien looks at his friend, awaiting to what his friend’s reaction and comments would be on the subject, then merely added, “But it’s a good different. A _great_ difference really.” Adrien turns his attention on Nino, who was rocking back and forth in front of the screen, hands intertwined as they cover his mouth that was blown up with air that was most likely holding in all his side comments. 

Adrien chuckles. “Yes, Nino, you can talk now.”

Nino exhales quickly, lowering his hands in relief. “I like the sounds of her. Sounds like a good start to friend,” Nino says truthfully, an honest smile spreading from ear to ear. “And maybe even down the road could be something even more tha-”

“I’m going to shut this laptop,” Adrien provokes, playfulness spreading all over his face as if he were a young child challenging someone else to race on the monkeybars. He really is just a little kid who just wants someone to goof off with. 

“Okay, Okay! Jeez, Mr. I-Don’t-Want-To-Be-In-A-Relationship-Guy,” Nino mutters, shaking his head at his friend’s obliviousness to where he was at this point in life. 

This had been their last year of high school, they were blooming from little buds in adolescents into full grown human flowers. And time was coming at both of them at a very quick pace. They could be off to college in a year, getting a job that could be across the continent, or starting a family. Only fate could decide for what lies ahead. 

“Well at least I’m not Mr. I-Have-Been-In-Too-Many-Relationships-Guy,” Adrien counters, a smirk growing on his face that wasn’t able to be contained. 

“I hate you,” Nino laughs, inwardly crying to himself. 

“Hate you too,” Adrien says, his face glancing over to his alarm clock that lays on his bedpost. The fluorescent red numbers blaring right back at him that reads 12:14 am. “Shoot!” he whisper-screams to himself, turning to Nino apologetically. “Um, haha, sorry I have dance again tomorrow, and it’s past twelve so I’m gonna have to go buddy.”

Nino’s eyes widen, looking back at his own alarm clock and swearing loudly. “I have my other studio project due tomorrow, and I need to finish it, so it’s probably good were wrapping up,” Nino says. 

Adrien smiles. “Well goodnight, bro. Don’t stay up too late, you need your rest. Love you.”

“I won’t, bud. You either, go slay tomorrow at rehearsals. Love ya,” Nino whispers to him. 

Adrien presses the end call button before they could get distracted and start talking for another twenty minutes. Adrien did appreciate it though, how Nino was able to distract him from his normal day life and take him to a place that only Nino and him could enjoy. 

Adrien closes his laptop, putting it on his bedpost as he lays down. Snuggling deeper into his covers, his thoughts turn to what may lay ahead for tomorrow. How many plies, releves, and turns would he have to do? What would Plagg and Tikki do if they found out that he had been up clear until the early morning? What… what would that Marinette girl think of _him_?

All the questions seems to flood his mind, as he closes his eyes off to a long night—or should I say _morning_—of restless sleeping. 

~

_To: thicc foxy <3_  
_From: lady luck <3  
_ _Alyaaaa, help meeee I can’t face him today. Or tomorrow. Or any other day. Just kill me now. _

_To: lady luck <3_  
_From: thicc foxy <3  
_ _no can do, sis. i need you alive so when you finally come home to me you can teach me how to make those cookies, remember?? besides i need you to find a man for yourself so i don’t have to. he’s a famous, rich, kind hearted, dancing idol boy. how much better can it get? _

Marinette can only suppress a sigh as she read her friend’s message for her. 

After yesterday had happened, when Marinette had literally _insulted_ Adrien’s assistant and then _fell_ on him… Marinette came up with the likely conclusion that she didn’t have an even close chance to even talking to him again. Maybe even looking at him again, if she can distract her eyes and keep them off of him. 

And when she had finally collapsed into her little room in the cramped apartment, she immediately called Alya with advice for what she should do. Alya had soothed her for the most part, telling her that he had probably been through a lot more trouble with paparazzi and obsessed fangirls then what she had accidentally done. Marinette didn’t entirely think so. 

Alya insisted she should go for him; go for the gold. Or go for the blonde were her words specifically… 

But basically after a two and a half hour face chat Alya had basically summed up that she shouldn’t worry and try to get to know him better. Who knew, maybe they had a bit in common. Marinette knew that they had at least one thing in common, because _wow_ they were at a dance intensive. She’d put money down betting that Adrien was a dancer, because they were literally at a high-tech dancing studio that they had to _pay_ or earn their way in. Yup, he’s probably a dancer. But other than that, Marinette had nothing to go on. 

She didn’t know that much about him… Marinette inwardly cringed at herself. And yet here she was picturing some fancy relationship with him. She just hasn’t actually gotten to know him yet, and now she felt as if that whole chance had blasted to smithereens when she had collapsed on top of him. She wanted to actually know him. To know how to get a real smile out of him, how to make him laugh, what his favorite ice cream flavor was… the questions went on. But Marinette feared even glancing over in his direction now, afraid of the consequences she might induce upon herself. 

_What if he hates me? What if he thinks I’m a bad dancer? What if he doesn’t like girls who were raised in a bakery?!_ And those thoughts continued in her head, never once holding back, making her dancing day come out even more stressful and frustrating than before.

Biting the inside of her lip and pacing around the hallway she felt a light tap on her shoulder, causing her head to turn to await who was there. Only to jump back in surprise seeing the person who had been containing all her thoughts right there next to her. _“A-Adrien?!”_

“Hey, Marinette!” he greets kindly, sending a toothy smile right her way. Only causing her to melt at the sight of it. He’s talking to her. He’s talking to her. He’s talking to her, _again_.

Marinette can’t figure out if she is actually living reality or if this was part of some maniatic dream she was having. But Adrien Agreste was the one talking to _her_, and he doesn’t seem disgusted or distant in the slightest. Or that’s what Marinette thinks at least, she really didn’t know how he acts all the time. 

“Wo-wow, I ca-can’t believe your actually talk-talking to me again!” Marinette says, her mind speaking her own words. But when she sees Adrien’s brows start to furrow she recognized her mistake. Never let her mind speak what it’s thinking in front of this man. _Never_. Her hand brushes the side of her head, a flustered mess. “Ah-um, I--haha--what I meant was, it’s so nice to be talking to you again!”

Adrien’s lips turn into the slightest of a smile, trying to decide whether her last sorts of rambling were a good or bad thing. “Um yeah, it’s nice to be talking with you again too?” he voices weakly.

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, running a bashful hand through her hair to tuck the stray tangles behind her ear. Looking down at the ground, she clears her throat. “Uhm, sor-sorry, I’m still trying to get used to this whole dance thing twenty-four-seven so I get a little tiptoed and jumpy, heh…” she mumbles apologetically. 

“Oh you have nothing to be sorry for!” Adrien insists, now running a hand through his hair with his shoulder risen. “I think we all are still trying to get into the motions of things, especially me.”

Marinette slowly meets his eyes. “Wh-what do you mean? Especially you?” she questions, her words finally starting to mold together normally somehow. 

“I’m not used to being around this many people for this long period of time, practically every day. It’s all sorta… new,” he states simply, looking around as other dancers scurried along the little hallways into the dance classrooms. All of them with determined looks on their faces with their pointe shoes in hand as if they were going to conquer the world. 

And both Adrien and Marinette could relate to the rest of the dancers. They were resolute and ready to join them as they unravel this mystifying art. 

“Well, I guess I can relate to that some too,” Marinette said with a soft smile, clutching her dance bag. “I didn’t even imagine I’d ever get a chance like this. To be here with some of the most experienced, top-notch, just _incredible_ dancers and just do the thing we love most. Just… dance.”

Adrien’s eyes shift over to Marinette’s. “I guess we're both going into this together then.”

Marinette's head snaps over into Adrien’s direction, shock and surprise flooding her features. “_Together?_ Uhm, yeah, I… I guess we're both new and lonely here in different ways than we thought.” 

Adrien nods, and gradually lifts his fist to her eye level. “Friends?” 

She studies his fist for a moment, before she hesitantly lifts her own fist and bumps it together with his. “Yeah, _friends_.”

~

_To: thicc foxy <3_  
_From: lady luck <3  
_ _I may... or may not be screaming and jumping up and down right now. _

~

“Psh…” Marinette scoffs, her eyebrows turning downward as she rolls her eyes. “You just don’t understand.”

Alya returns the same look Marinette was giving her. “Girl, literally though, I don’t think I’ve ever received so much spam texts from the _same_ person in under thirty seconds,” Alya deadpans on Marinette’s phone screen. 

“Seriously though! I had a good reason to,” Marinette insists, a finger twirling on her loose hair. 

Alya quirks a brow, bringing up her phone onto the screen and scrolling through it. “Wow, forty-seven text messages between 12:13 and…” Alya pauses. “12:13. I think you’ve broken our record of most sent texts by a long shot, but probably because most of this is unlegible,” Alya says as her eyes stay glued to her phone screen. 

Marinette just shrugs. “I mean, who could blame me?”

“But really, what happened?” Alya asks, looking up at Marinette for a split second then returns to her phone. “Getting texts like _‘I’m going to die’_ and _‘Please bury me near a church so I can repent of my sins’_ and…” Alya’s eyes squint as she brings her phone closer to her face. “_‘ALQWNTGOBOANFK!’_ Uhm...” Alya makes a face at her. 

Marinette smiles innocently at her, adjusting her phone so she could still see Alya and get ready for the next dance period. 

Alya is still staring at her, several things running through her mind as she tries to discover why Marinette had suddenly perked up and started spamming her phone with emojis and rambled messages. Then her eyes widen, her jaw dropping a little, as a little _‘ohh’_ noise escaped her mouth. 

Marinette waits, while she slips on her pointe shoes and began to wrap the laces around her ankles and tie them in a neat bow. 

“Wait,” Alya grabs her computer screen as if she was pulling Marinette closer. “Did you make a move on Adrien without telling me? Shoot, did you make a _big_ move and now I’m not there to finally support you after your first make out session-”

“Woah, first, _ew_ no,” Marinette says wrinkling her nose and making a face at her friend. “Second, I don’t think I’d even be able to kiss that boy, he’s _way_ too out of my league. But third, yeah it’s about Adrien, _and_ he touched my fist! And he said we were _friends_, and that we are both _new_, and that we both are going through these new things _together_, and _oh my gosh_ we actually talked and then we walked to class and now that class is over I’m talking to you about it and my legs feel like they might give out but I’m still alive so-”

“Holy frick girl,” Alya interrupts, a concerned yet entertained smile tugging on her lips. “Hold up the rambling, I can see that you are definitely excited and freaking out, but just back up and take a deep breath and relax,” Alya breaths, laughing lightly to herself. 

Marinette jumps up, now ready in her pointe shoes as she beams at her friend. “Yeah, _relax_. No can do when I have dance in ten minutes,” Marinette says, picking up her phone and her dance bag. 

Alya smiled warmly, seeing her friend do what she thought was unimaginable only a couple days ago. And now look at how strong and independent she was all on her own. It made Alya quite sad sometimes to see her once clumsy and uncoordinated friend now growing up into a dedicated and graceful ballerina. It made her feel grateful for all the times that she had always had Marinette by her side, and how much she has really prepared for the future for the past few years. But seeing her now still reminded her that Marinette is still a girl who’s just trying to find her place in the world, as she rambles on and on about a boy she knew so little about, with her cheeks pink, and her eyes dazzling as she talks about him. Alya knew Marinette always had a little left of that young teen love in her. 

“Well don’t work yourself too hard,” Alya said, smiling contently. 

“Psh, don’t worry, _mom._ I’m already dead so why not work at it for a couple extra hours?” Marinette giggles, returning a toothy grin accompanied with a wink. 

“And please, girl, don’t go making out with boys that you don’t even know very well yet-”

“_Alyaaaa_, please. I’m not into those types of relationships, but I understand you. Don’t go looking for a relationship with someone until you’ve finally seen their true colors and personality, am I right?” Marinette assumes, keeping close attention onto her friend’s facial features to see her reaction. 

Alya’s face softens. “You know me too well, girl.”

The lingering silence between them wasn’t awkward or uneasy in the slightest. It was almost as it were a breath of fresh air for Marinette, just knowing that her friend would be there for her to talk with her or even just sit on a Skype call just willing to listen. It was like their six senth for each other, just knowing with that look in their eyes that whatever may happen that both of them are best friends for eternity and with that they can do anything. Marinette was overly grateful that she has Alya in her life, and that she brought this joy along the journey’s they have experienced and for the future 

An intercom however, broke the sisterly bond the two were feeling with a loud beep. “Attention dancers, your lunch break is now over. Please proceed to your following classes on your assigned schedules. Class will begin momentarily.”

Marinette’s head turns away from the intercom, and back on her best friend. “Crap, uh, I better go.”

Alya nods. “Good timing, I have to head to my shift at work anyways.”

“Well,” Marinette clears her throat, and brushes a hand through her loose hair. Which reminded her that she needed to put it up. “I’ll text you later, love you, Al.”

“Love you too, girl.”

And with that, Marinette shut off her phone, and turns towards the door that contains all the dancers that would be along with her for the next hour or so. She put her phone in her bag, and pulls her hair up into a tight knot bun. Tugging on the hair elastic tightly, with her best friend’s encouraging words still fresh in her mind, she walks over to the room and set her shaking hand on the handle.

She let in a quivering breath, closing her eyes promptly. Her best friend floods her mind. _You are so talented, Mari._ She can practically hear her best friend’s voice from the other night when she had been having her doubts. Marinette opens her eyes, grace filling her heart, as a new fire lit in her eyes. _A new hope. A new goal. A new dream_. 

She opens the door to the dance room, confidence now radiating off her features. 

_And that was to become the best ballerina she could be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing my little boi Nino and smol Adrien having interactions gives me life.  
Anyways, I'm trying to find a regular posting schedule that means hopefully I can post a chapter every week or so (but idk how that's gonna end up because school can be freakin stressful at times.) We are also finally starting to ease out of the beginning chapters and move onto the actual plot! The real fun doesn't start until a few more chapters though, please be patient with me, I'm still trying to stay patient with myself tbh ;-;  
Well hope you like the chapter, and _hopefully_ I will see you again next week! Hope you have a lovely day!


	3. Akuma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Akuma By: Denzel_

Marinette hums quietly to herself atop of her bed, flipping through the latest magazine Chloè had claimed was just _‘too boring she would much rather be clawing her eyes out.’_ Marinette actually wanted Chloè to keep the magazine at that saying, but Chloè threw it on top of the kitchen island and stomped off into her own bedroom before Marinette could smugly protest. 

And who can blame Marinette for being curious?

She clucks her tongue, as she flips the page again, scanning the latest celebrity gossip and news to see if there was anything that can actually interest her. Her eyes freeze as her eyes land on an all too familiar face. Her mind drawing a blank as she holds the magazine closer to her eyes to see if her vision was mistaking her. Nope. This _being_ on the page, she knew, and there is no denying it. 

“How did Chloe _not_ see these photos of Adrien in this?” Marinette remarkably whisper-screams to herself, staring straight into the green paper eyes of idol-dancer boy, Adrien Agreste. “Thank you for this blessing,” Marinette praises softly, before searching the rest of the magazine. She is about to flip the page when something stops her. 

A light knock on her bedroom door. 

Marinette tenses, her eyes darting from the door back to the page of Adrien’s face glancing back at her. She scrambles to her feet, quickly shoving the magazine of Adrien underneath her pillow before making her way over to the door. 

Already assuming who it was, Marinette states, “No, I definitely _do not_ have your magazine, Chloè. Just go to sleep, and stop bugging me. It’s like eleven at night. I want to have an actual good sleep tonight and sleep in, I don’t even have to wake up early, and neither do you. So just go to sleep.”

No response from Chloè. From anyone in that matter. All the response she gets, is a little envelope with her name written on it that is slid underneath the door. 

Marinette raises her eyebrows at the door, as she looks at the envelope that was now at her feet. She purses her lips before she finally crouches to her knees and picks up the sealed piece of paper. She eyes it weirdly, multiple scenarios occurring in her head of what just may be in this letter. 

She shakily stands back up, envelope in hand as she stumbles across the room to her bed again. She plops down on her bed, a mini war going on inside of her head deciding whether to open it or not. 

Welp, you can't blame Marinette for being curious. _Again._

Unfolding the envelope’s back carefully, she broke the seal with a gentle tug, revealing the simple piece of white note paper inside of it. She drops the valueless envelope on her bedside as the letter remains in her hands, questions continuing to flood her mind. She slowly opens the piece of paper from their crease folds, opening it wide for her to see what this whole letter was about it the first place. 

She could feel her jaw loosen as she read the letter to herself quietly. 

_Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_

_What a talented dancer you are girlie! Not only do you know the fundamentals and the skills, but you also have the emotion and feelings as you dance too! You’re quite the splendid dancer. Which is why you are one of the few who are receiving this letter tonight._

Marinette’s brow furrow, as she continues to read the passage. 

_Tell this to no one. No. One. Or else that could put yourself and others that you love in quite grave danger. You, if you are willing to accept, have been chosen to come and qualify in the underground dance battle competition being held at no other than The Akuma._

“The Akuma?” Marinette mutters to herself, even more questions and worries filling her mind.

_The Akuma, if you have never heard of it, hold some of the most famous dancers where they participate in the dance competitions and battles that are held. Choosing to enter into The Akuma is very honorary to the people of dance, training some of the best ballerinas and dancers in history. And also helping them earn a little bit of cash along the way. You could be one of those next people, Marinette. Please take it into consideration, but do not tell anyone. The Akuma is strictly professional and private, and can get you and others in a very grave situation if your simply asking for it._

Marinette can practically feel herself gulp. 

_Come disguised if you decide you are in. Hide your face. You don’t want anyone knowing who you are. The first meeting of The Akuma competitors will be held on Wednesday of this week. Don’t be late, or don’t come at all. And if you feel like you don’t want to be in this thing at all… then zip it. But if you end up wanting in, I can assure you that this whole experience will surely be... **miraculous.**_

Marinette finds her jaw agape, and quickly snaps it shut as she notices the coordinates of this so called ‘Akuma’ place. She feels her mind racing at a million miles a minute, trying to process what literally had just happened. 

Maybe this was all some prank Chloè has pulled on her, and now she is falling for it, and now she’ll never be able to calm herself down about it, and then she’ll fail as a ballerina and never become famous and marry Adrien-

“Woah, back up there Marinette. This is crazy,” she reminds herself aloud. Only for her mentality to tell her, _ then again, you are talking to yourself._

Marinette pulls on her loose dark hair, biting the outside of her lower lip as she glances at the letter that she has dropped on the ground after all her thoughts have mentally drained her. 

She shakily bends down and picks up the letter with trembling hands, her eyes staring at the address that is at the bottom of the page. The letters and numbers staring back at her, almost _taunting_ her. She bit her lip harder. Rereading parts of the letter, her eyes bulge as she scans over the part that said,_“The first meeting of the Akuma competitors will be held on Wednesday of this week.”_

Marinette sighs dreadfully, realizing that _Wednesday_, is indeed tomorrow. She needs to decide if she is really wanting to do this, or if she even has the skills to do so in the first place. She needs to make a decision and fast. 

She exhales through her nose loudly, setting the note on her night stand. She shuts off her lamp with a light click as she flops back onto her bed defeatedly. She really hopes she isn’t going to regret this. She can’t regret this, because now there was no backing out. 

For now, she shifts in her bed, slowly pulling the covers on top of her. She suddenly sits up again after she felt something underneath her pillow, only to remind herself that it was her magazine. 

Even in the darkness when she couldn’t see herself from her mirror across the room, she can still tell she was blushing from the various burn she was feeling in her cheeks as she looks at the magazine in her hands. She sets it next to her letter, and then returns to her position on the bed. 

She allows her eyes to come to a close. The same words repeating in her head as she drifted off to sleep. _So much for a chill day tomorrow._

~

“I hate life,” Marinette mumbles sleepily, as she hastily slaps the snooze button on her alarm clock. “I don’t even have dance today, so please just _shut up_.” Her eyes open wearily as her eyes met the bright numbers on her alarm clock. Reading 6:15 am. _Why did I even set an alarm in the first place?_ She asks herself. _It’s not like I have anything important today-_

Her eyes then land on the letter from last night. 

Marinette combusts. 

Jumping out of bed with a strangled squeak, she stumbles across her room to her little dresser that was near the corner of the bedroom. Throwing the drawers open, her hands scramble to find something to wear for the occasion. 

She didn’t have a single clue to what she was needing to wear for this. In all honesty, would anyone know what to wear? For dancing sakes, she didn’t even have a simple disguise ready in the least!

She pulls out a baggy sweatshirt, accompanied with some tight black pair of leggings. Marinette tilts her head down at her clothes, deciding it was a good option for now. Throwing her pajamas off, she hurriedly gets on her clothes.

She looks down at herself with a displeasing face... _yup_, so much for trying to come up with a fancy costume to compete in. When her life isn’t totally consumed by dance every second of every day, she usually likes designing her own clothes and costumes for performances. But now… she never has the time for it. So Marinette's fashion reputation has been practically destroyed when the comfort of sweat pants and plain tee-shirts were introduced to her. Which now she knew she would probably be wearing that plain attire for the rest of the summer due to her exhaustion. 

She slowly opens her bedroom door in her new get up, and peers down the hallway. Only to find darkness, and the sound of silence. No one has woken up except for her. Marinette has to hold back her breath as she tiptoes down the hallway towards the bathroom. 

Quietly shutting the bathroom door with a tiny squeak, Marinette exhales a sweet breath of relief. Looking at herself in the mirror with twisted lips, she quickly gets out her makeup bag from her assigned bathroom drawer and begins to apply her thin coat of mascara and eyeliner. Taking another look in the mirror at herself, she now purses her lips. She just looks so much like… Marinette. Which she shouldn’t be looking like Marinette, for right now that is. 

She then begins to bite the inside of her lip as she merely looks inside the rest of her tiny makeup bag for any options she could use to spice herself up a little bit. Just to make her look less _Marinette-ty_ and more like _underground dance fight gangster_… person. 

Using her hand to scoop through her very little makeup appliances, her hands then lie on a tiny container, grasping it with her palm tightly she pulls it out of the bag. Reading the label and then recognizing what she had in her hand makes Marinette’s mind spark with flaring ideas. Clutching onto the container, she looks up at herself again. Smirking to herself, she whispers, _“... ya ready to dance, Mari?”_

~

Now with a black mask covering the skin around her eyes and forehead, a new Marinette then roams the quiet streets of London. With her hands holding tightly onto the letter she has received from “The Akuma” leader, she mumbles the coordinates over and over to herself. With the letter as her guide, and her footsteps following where her mind was telling her to go, Marinette then finds herself in the middle of a nearly deserted road. 

Looking over her shoulders, she shifts her feet uncomfortably. This part of town wasn’t abandoned or creepy, just had a different feel to it then the rest of the city. Almost, eerie and… hollow. As if something were here and you didn’t realize it. 

Bringing the letter closer to her face, she read the directions to this so called ‘Akuma’ once again. Finding that she was indeed in the exact place it was asking her to be in.  
With a light huff, she turns her veer of vision all around her. Checking for any sign of just _something_ that can lead her to where she was needing to be. Because she has a hunch that being in the middle of an empty road wasn’t where this meeting was going to take place. After looking around and seeing that there was no facade to where she was really needing to go except for quiet town homes and a desolated gas station, Marinette lets out a defeated sigh.

Marinette purses her lips as her head slowly begins to droop, making her eyes land on her dirty pair of converse in debacle. _Why was she even going out on this little ‘hoo-wrah’ when she didn’t even know where it was to begin with? What if this was all some joke? Making her believe for a fraction of a second that she actually had a chance at competing with other dancers?_

Feeling her eyes tear up, she distraughtly brought her hand up to wipe them away. She can’t be weak now. She _wouldn’t_ be weak now. Then her eyes slowly shift to what her feet were standing on. Which automatically make her eyes go wide in curiosity as her mind floats to possible reveries and fantasies that couldn’t possibly come true. 

“A... a sewer?” she mumbles wearily as she carefully begins to bend down to examine the sewer top. Touching the cold metal with the outside of her palm, she blows her stray hair out of her face. “This is some high class dance competition, there is _absolutely_ no way that it’s being held in a sewer. _Noooo_ way.”

Standing back up with her brows raised and her lips trying to decide whether they should be joyful that she might have found a way that she was not crazy and found a possible solution to where this dance competition was being held, or be pulled down into a frown because it was a freaking _sewer_. There was no way this was happening. 

She solely swings her leg around and begins to stumble away in the opposite direction. There was no possible way that this thing was in a sewer. She must be reading it wrong. 

Still walking away in an awkward manner, she pulls the letter out yet again. She turns it upside down, sideways, backwards, up towards the calm clouds that were appearing in the crisp air of dusk, and did multiple other ways to check the address as well. Noting to herself that it was indeed the same coordinates she had been following the first time. 

Shaking her head with a disgusted twist beginning to rise on her lips, her head turns to look back at the sewer lid back in the middle of the road. The disgusting, sticky, animal invested, rotten-smelling… _sewer_. Looking back down at the letter in her hands, then returning to the sewer, she let out a dreadful sigh. Then whispers defeatedly, “Gosh dang it, I guess you can really host a dance competition underground.”

After giving herself multiple pep-talks, telling herself she would reward herself with a run to the nearby cafe after, and gagging several times, Marinette finally gains enough courage to attempt to open the sewer lid and to emerge down into it. 

Marinette slowly creeps closer towards the sewer with unconvinced thoughts nagging at her brain. Being only a few centimeters away, her hand trembles as it touches the top of the sewer top once again. And with the loudest thought yelling at her “Now or never Mari”, it makes the other thoughts slowly begin to fade away, Marinette now knew she was entering into new waters. Waters that she doesn’t know if she would be able to contain and keep afloat, or let them control her and drag her deep down beneath the surface. So when both her hands lift the sewer lid off, and slide it over to reveal a dark pit underneath, Marinette knew that she has now taken a plunge into these new waters. And she was never coming back. 

With the top of the sewer lid fully removed, Marinette slowly starts to slide her little body into the icky atmosphere of the sewer below. With her hands clutching the ladder she merely began to lower herself deeper and deeper into the sewer. Before being too far down, she quickly slid the sewer lid back over the hole. Sealing herself down in the dark with whatever else was down there. 

“It’s just a sewer, nothing to be worried about, right?” Marinette repeatedly chides herself. “It’s just a sewer that stinks, a-and probably has mutated animals…” she looks around uneasily as she scrambles to pull out her phone to turn on her flashlight. With the light finally on, she disappointedly adds, “and also has a heaping amount of dead bugs, just great.”

Marinette starts to finally walk around, using her phone as a guide to find anything that could lead her to where she truly needed to be. 

Shining it from side to side, for awhile without a single clue of where she was going, she almost lost hope. 

That’s when she saw the sign. 

Marinette finds herself running towards the giant sign. A purple butterfly graffitied on the wall, the sloppily words written across the bottom of it made Marinette finally know that this whole rendezvous wasn’t just some prank after all. 

“The Akuma…” Marinette reads, her flashlight scanning over it multiple times until she finally notices the white arrow mark pointing her in the right direction. Marinette grins to herself, hope finally starting to bubble in the pit of her stomach. 

She then sprints away in the direction that the pointing arrow was leading her. 

~

Marinette pants, finally coming to a stop when she bends down on her knees to catch her breath. _Almost there_, she mentally reminds herself. 

She stands up off her knees, taking in a breath to finally start running again. 

Only for it getting knocked out of her when something bumps into her from behind. 

She screams as she stumbles forwards, nearly falling into the marine of icky sewer water below if it weren’t for the hand that has grabbed onto her sweatshirt to keep her from falling-- wait hand?

Marinette turns quickly after regaining her balance, and pushes the person away from her. “Woah there I don’t know who you are but you can’t just go around almost pushing people off into sewer water.”

The person shrinks in their dark clothing similar to hers. It seems lots of people don’t have a single clue on what to wear for the occasion either. “I’m so so sorry, I didn’t even realize where I was running and ended up almost pushing you in like that. I’m so so _so_ sorry…”

Marinette pauses. This person--most likely man--did seem truly sorry. She pretty much did that to her celebrity crush just a few days ago. So she does have to cut him some slack. “Um, it’s fine. Just, uh, try to be more careful running around in the dark like this,” she says. Her eyes notice the light coming out of her phone as she points it downward. “Maybe try turning on your phone or brining a flashlight?”

She can hear him chuckle. “I don’t even know how I was able to miss your phone flashlight, I guess I was just amazed by actually being down here that I got caught up at staring at the walls or something. I’m really sorry, again.”

Marinette was wondering how he would’ve missed it too, but she can’t blame him. This was an interesting experience after all. “And you’re all good, again.”

She can see the ghost of a smile on his face, and can see it more clearly as her hand automatically brought her flashlight closer to him. Only for herself to draw back as she sees him flinch. “Well, that’s _my_ bad. Sorry I guess I’m getting too caught up in this too. I didn’t mean to shine my flash on you.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” he reassures, now pulling out his own cell phone and pulling it close to him to turn on the flash. He now shines his flash on her for a moment before aiming it back on the ground. “See? Now we’re even.”

Marinette finds herself smiling. “Well… are you part of this whole Akuma thing?” She asks timidly. 

“Yeah. To be honest I’m kind of glad I bumped into you in the dark, or else I would have been stuck down here without not knowing where to go.”

She nods, giggling to herself lightly. “Don’t worry that was me a few minutes ago before I saw the sign.”

“Sign?” he questions.

“Just stick with me, I know where I’m going.”

“Well then lead the way, m’lady,” he says with a hand extending towards the darker parts of the sewer. 

She hesitates before moving forward. 

“Wait, you are a lady… right?” his voice asks sheepishly.

Marinette snorts, tugging down on the top of her hood before stepping in front of him. “Yes I am, now hurry up.” She can hear his footsteps skip his way closer to her until he was beside her. 

“Did you get the letter last night too? Or did you get yours before then? You don’t have to answer I was just wondering,” he says quickly, his words starting off strong then slowly crumbling into a sheepish mess. 

“Have you ever heard of curiosity killed the cat? Because you sure are one curious kitty that’s for sure,” Marinette scoffs, mentally asking herself why she was turning this conversation to cats of all things. 

He shrugs his shoulders. “Well then I’m a curious cat with pride.”

She rolls her eyes with an amusing grin tugging her lips. “Uh huh, you do that. But yes, I did get my letter yesterday night same as you I assume.” 

“You are correct,” he confirms. She nods. “But… did you not trust it at first? I thought it was some huge joke or something at the beginning, but now being here with you makes me realize that this is more real than I could ever imagine,” he says laughing to himself a bit and leaning forward. 

Marinette can see a tint of blonde from the edge of her eyes, but quickly returns to looking ahead. “Yeah, I was a bit unconvinced at first. Now I realize that I made the right decision in the end though.” 

He smiles at her. “Do you have any idea of… I don’t know, what we are even going to do here? Not to be mean to whoever created this thing or whatever but having this held in a sewer is a bit sketchy to me,” he continues, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. 

Only to see her halt to a stop. He however didn’t pick up on that and walks head first into the wall with a loud _thud_. He draws back quickly, rubbing his throbbing head. “Ow…” he curses, then his eyes land on what was in front of him. “What the heck…”

Marinette’s eyes go wide, staring at the large structure before her that can lead her to a whole new world if she is willing to take this chance. 

“Welp, I guess we're here.”

She just doesn’t know if she is ready to take this chance or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID UPDATE ON TIME LOOK AT ME GO. It's crazy how hard it is to actually just sit down and write, because the writing block is _real_ sometimes. Most the time. All the time, really. I hope you lovelies enjoyed the chapter though, we are slowly getting to the actual plot and I'm so excited to share it with you guys! Don't forget to comment, see you all next chapter!
> 
> <3//sidereal


	4. Miraculous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Miraculous By: Lou & Lenni-Kim_

The gateway to enter into _The Akuma_ was gigantic, putting it in a small manner. This wall, or _door_ that was in front of them had to be the place they were looking for. With the giant painting of a purple butterfly in the center of it, there was no denying it. 

“Woah… but still? Why is this so… top-notch? Doesn’t this feel a bit… _illegal_ to you or something?” the man asks next to her, gazing up at the huge collage of butterflies that was enveloping the giant words, ‘The Akuma.’ 

Marinette turns her eyes on him, with the most dumb-found expression on her face. She doesn’t even know what to think of this guy anymore. He doesn’t even know what he’s in for. “That’s because it probably is _illegal_, you idiot,” she mumbles quietly, returning her vision to the giant gateway. 

The door or _gateway_ was silver, with the fancy graffiti and accents covering it. It has to at least be twenty feet high, and looks as if it were actually once a giant safe instead of being a secret entrance to this club. And now, with the mixed hues and shades of purples and the club title written fancily across it all… it is being used for something far more extraordinary. 

“Well either way, it’s dope. We should try to find our way in,” the guy next to Marinette speaks up finally, taking a step forward. 

Marinette raises a brow at him. “There’s no handle on it... “ she says matter-of-factly, taking a step closer with him. “As if… someone on the inside has to let us in,” she examines, putting her hand up against the cold metal and looking up at the gateway that was blocking them from their destination. 

“Okay, then lets let them know we’re here shall we?” he muses, turning to look at her face with a grin coating his features. She returns it. 

“We shall.”

In unison, the duo knock against the cold metal with the top of their knuckles, making it clear that they have been invited here and they want _in_. 

“Holy frick, chill,” a loud voice hollars from up above them. 

Their pounding on the door stops as both of their heads look upwards. Only to meet eyes with a masked man looking through a trapdoor that was on the other side. Only the area around his eyes are exposed to them, but even then he had a thick black mask on that was most likely there to protect his identity.

Marinette can hardly believe this is actually happening. 

“Ah, newcomers I’m assuming?” the man asks them loudly, tilting his head at them. 

Marinette and the man next to her exchange confused glances, then slowly nod at him. 

“Awe how precious,” the man through the trapdoor muses. “Sorry kids, you can’t get in without the password. All members here know that, and without a password, you ain’t going in.”

Marinette blanks. _Password?_ The note had said nothing about a password! She looks over to the man next to her, seeing if he has any idea what it may be. He looks just as lost as she is. 

Marinette lets out a long suffering sigh as her palm finds its way to her forehead. “Think, Marinette, think,” she whispers lowly to herself, too quiet for anyone else to hear. She squeezes her eyes shut as she tries to envision the letter in her brain, only for her jaw to drop when she remembers. 

She has the letter in her pocket. 

Her hands quickly scramble around in her pocket, fiddling around with a piece of paper inside until she finally has a firm enough grip to pull it out. She grins at the letter, but it only fades when she realizes she can’t see squat down in this lighting. 

She merely looks over at the man next to her, biting her lip before saying, “Hey, er… do you think you can help me out?”

His head perks up and she can already tell there’s a smile coating his face as he pulls out his phone flashlight and comes closer to her. He aims it directly on the letter and they both start to decipher anything that can lead to the password getting in here. 

Marinette nit-picks every sentence down until she feels as if she would never be able to read again when the man next to her points to something on the note. 

“I think this is it,” the man whispers to her, voice gentle and soft as it travels from off his lips straight to her ear. She looks down to the word he was pointing at, and the answer is clear as day. _Miraculous._

“I think you’re right,” she says to him, her voice rising in excitement and anticipation. “Tell it to the trapdoor guy!”

“Me?” he questions, his pointing hand going from the letter to making a gesture towards himself. 

“Yeah. You were the one who found it after all,” she says, smiling warmly.

His own face begins to grow with a widening grin, and he looks up towards the trapdoor man who looks like he was half asleep. “Um… sir?”

The trapdoor man makes eye contact with him, but says nothing nonetheless. 

The man next to Marinette straightens his back, as he puts his cell phone flashlight away. He clenches his jaw as he speaks clearly up towards the man. “_Miraculous._”

The trapdoor man grins at them, nodding to himself. “I guess you guys aren’t just some stupid kids trying to get in after all. You guys can call me Chulda, and welcome to… _The Akuma_.”

The giant vault begins to slowly creak open, music and rambunctious noise filling the two teens eardrums, and once the door has finally been wide enough for them to slip in… they knew they will never be able to back out. 

~

Lights blare, music pounds their ears, and even the ground shook beneath their feet as they wander into the break dance club. Marinette when she had been above the surface had tried to come up with at least an idea of how the place could look like, but it is nothing compared to _this_. 

People were to her every which way, left and right, front and back. All of them moving to the beat and pushing her and the other guy around as if they were ragdolls. In the center of the whole dance floor was an elevated stage, accompanied with lights that make it even more intimidating if you’re up there. Multiple colors of light fill the dimly lit room and outline every dancer with the moves of their bodies that they feel in their hearts. 

Marinette almost doesn’t catch herself gulping as she examines everything. 

The sides of the walls are colorful due to all the graffiti over time, blurred messages and messy quotes aligned along the walls only enhancing the experience. Then to the very back of the dance club, stood another stage--that is a bit higher up than the other one, yet it’s not as big-- where DJ-ing equipment is set up. 

“Wow…” she can hear the slight mumble of the guy next to her, she turns to talk to him only when a loud booming voice interrupts her. 

“Attention everyone!” the voice booms, causing everyone to either stop talking or cover their ears due to the loud proximity. “Will you please turn your heads towards the stage? Thank you.”

Marinette, as well as every other one of the dancers, heads turn towards the glowing stage. Where a single man stands there, grinning over the crowd. Addressed in a dark purple suit and a silver mask that covers the area around his eyes, he pulls on his suit sleeves and clears his throat. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to my humble aboard…” he says quietly, yet his voice echoes through speakers that are placed all around the arena. Marinette feels her heartbeat begin to pick up. 

“Some of you may know who I am…” the purple-suit man continues, smirking with a glint in his gray eyes. The crowd hollars and claps, people beginning to chant a name over and over again. _Hawkmoth_. 

Hawkmoth puts a hand up, silencing the crowd in an instance. He then slowly puts it down to continue, “While others, may have no clue. But my dear dancers, I promise you, you’ll know me soon enough,” he pauses, scanning over the crowd and meeting eyes with Marinette. He grins wickedly. “I guarantee it.”

He then bows, then begins to leave the stage as another man enters. 

This man is also adorned in a purple suit, yet the hue was much lighter. An outer darker purple coat fell to his knees, and half his face is covered in a neat masquerade type mask. Making only the light grey color of his eyes pop out at the crowd. He smiles, extending a hand out to them. 

“Hello fellow contestants! For those of you who may not know me, I am Nooroo. Hawkmoth’s top assistant, who has asked me to introduce you all to the rules of play here… they may be simple but they are critical if you’re wanting to stay here for a long time.” He takes a few steps into the center of the broad stage, every single direction around him having eyes wide with curiosity. 

“First of all, the most obvious rule in the book. Do _not_ come here as your normal self, unless you want to be sent to jail in less than a week that is. _The Akuma_ is strict and professional, but also as well highly secret to the outside world. Which means we cannot know the identities of your true selves, and you may not know the identities of those around you,” Nooroo states matter-of-factly, turning his head several times to peer at every general direction of the group. 

“Knowing the true identity of anyone can result as punishment not only towards you, but as to your companion as well. So If you want to be moving forward in this competition, take this word of advice, don’t tell anyone who you are. And don’t even think about trying to find out anything about anyone else. That is until we give you permission to, but we will get to more of that later,” Nooroo warns, narrowing his eyes on the group. 

The boy next to Marinette shifts his feet uncomfortably, his eyes silently falling to the ground. 

Nooroo continues, “Now, as for your partner…” Multiple whoops and cheers from the crowd erupt, causing Nooroo to shush them. “This year at _The Akuma_, things are going to be held a bit differently. Instead of _us_ choosing the partner pairings for you, _you_ get to choose who you may want to get paired up with. That is why we are holding pre-dance trials. 

“Pre-dance trials are your chance to show everyone what you got when it comes to the dancing field, if no one ends up wanting you… you might as well not try to show up anymore because we won’t let you in,” Nooroo sighs and pauses. 

Marinette stiffens, the whole era of the room seems to tense up at the sudden early round of elimination. She has one chance to get in… and if she blows it… she grimaces as she squeezes her eyes shut. _I don’t want to be a failure again._

“But…” Nooroo coos, putting his gloved hands behind his back. “If you have _multiple_ people wanting you as a dance companion, then not only will you be able to continue in the competition, but you will earn numerous advantages compared to the rest of the contestants.

“After the pre-dance trials and you all have either left the club for good or found your dancing partner you will have to compete with for the rest of the competition, we will then hold the first round of partner break dancing. Where you as partners will need to choreograph a dance then perform it here on stage in front of everyone. As the competition goes along, more and more teams will be eliminated from the event. Whoever gets the least amount of votes that week will have to leave The Akuma forever. 

“There are ten rounds. Ten weeks. Ten battles. That you will have to face if you end up making it that long, and if you make it to the very end… you and your partner will be crowned the champions of The Akuma of this year. However, it’s not going to be easy,” Nooroo explains, pulling up on the cuff of his suit. 

“Now back to the rules. Rules are made at this dance club to keep things in order and make everything run in a somewhat smoothly matter, and that is why if you break any of the rules we list more than a certain number of times than you will be forced to leave The Akuma,” Nooroo explains, raising a warning brow to the crowd. 

He continues, “The first rule that we already stated, is don’t reveal your true identity and don’t go snooping around to find out someone else's. _Basic._

“The second rule is that you must come in a mask with a different identity at _all_ times, no matter the cost. Do not mention your regular job, family, or even friends to anyone here or else you will be threatened to leave. Get creative, you will all have a week to prepare a proper get-up before the trials begin so I suggest you all should get looking for a proper disguise,” Nooroo recommends, after scanning the different dancers only to see plain dark clothing adorning most of them. 

“Now, no cellular devices whatsoever. Smart phones, computers, tablets of any kind are not permitted here. Flip phones--for crying out loud--will be terminated on sight and the owner of them will be sent away,” Nooroo says, the tone of his voice going a lot lower than it has been. “If anyone here takes any photography or video footage on a device and leaks it to the web, we will find you and put an end to it. That is why we do not allow any sort of device in here, so do yourself a favor and leave all that kind of stuff at home.” Nooroo even narrows his eyes, stating the fact that this was indeed a serious rule that is not to be reckoned with. 

Nooroo clears his throat and shakes his head. “Uh yeah, next rule! As you all already know, you all will have a dance partner soon enough. You must work and hold secret meetings together _until_ we announce you can finally reveal yourselves to make it easier. Don’t get your hopes up quite yet, the reveal between you and your partner is usually a _long_ ways down the road.

“Next item of business, betting on different dancers. Of course you can bet money for who you think will end up winning, but you never know what these people are capable of, so don’t get too frisky,” he laughs and winks to a few chuckling men in the crowd. 

“Umm now am I missing anything?” Nooroo asks aloud, turning towards the back of the giant room to the DJ set-up. Nooroo nods, “Ah, that’s right!”

He claps his hands together. “Please no fighting…” Multiple ‘awws’ and ‘boos’ erupt from the crowd. Nooroo smirks, “Unless it’s on the stage that is, so everyone can see!” Cheering and clapping then replace the previous remarks, making the atmosphere feel a lot more forgien to the newcomers.

One of them being Marinette who can only stare at all the people jumping around her. _Fight?_ She mentally asks herself, she doesn’t think she is quite cut out for this anymore. 

“Thank you contestants! You now have a week until our next meeting when pre-dance trails will begin! Come in your masks, and get ready for a _splendid_ time,” Nooroo shouts over the hollars of the crowd.

Dancers begin to jump up and down, screaming out words that Marinette can barely wrap her head around. The same words Nooroo had barely said ringing in her ears like an unwanted voice in your head. _You now have a week until our next meeting when pre-dance trials will begin…_

Marinette can already feel her hands begin to clamp up, and she isn’t even near to performing the dance yet. A dance that _she_ will have to come up with on her own. She inhales shakily, scanning the stage again only to see Nooroo walking off with an ambitious smirk. 

She turns to the guy next to her, silently pleading that he was just as confused and nerve-wracked as she was. Only for her eyes to meet with a complete stranger. The man she had met earlier was nowhere in sight. Marinette can only sigh.

It is probably for the best. After all, she can’t be making bonds with people that she might have to face later on in the rounds. It will save her from heaving heartache down the road.

One thing she knew for sure, it wasn’t saving her from heartache right now. Hugging herself in a tight embrace as she clutches the sides of her sweatshirt, she stumbles through the room of crowded dancers towards the exit. 

~

Marinette stares blankly at her phone, scrolling through the latest gossip feed on social media as she silently ponders what she’s even doing with her life. 

She picks her head up from her phone to merely scan across her unfamiliar room, nothing seeming to make her perk up. 

She doesn’t even know what to think after attending _The Akuma_, she doesn’t even know if she believes it was actually real and that she had experienced a little less than a couple hours ago. She doesn’t even know if she wants to return for dance’s sake. 

She lets out a heaving sigh, slowly turning over on her bed and shutting off her phone with the simple click of her finger. 

She needs inspiration, just a little boost, a tiny thought that can trigger a chain reaction and give her something to believe in. Because she’s going to need a lot more than skill to survive throughout this whole intensive _plus_ a confidential break-dancing club on top of that. 

She needs something… _miraculous_ to happen. 

She grimaces when she recalls the previous events of the day when she and that one guy had used that exact same word to get into the club. 

_Miraculous._

Marinette tiredly sits up, then rubs her eyes, and looks towards the blinds that were blocking the light of the sun from entering her room. She sorely staggers her way over to the window, pulling the blinds up and nearly causing her to go blind. 

Once her eyes adjust to the light, she finds herself smiling softly on the awake city that was buzzing and crackling with life. 

“Okay,” she says to herself, clenching her fists. She turns towards her door with a new determination in her eyes. “Time to dance, for real this time.”

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEE. Ahah, sorry for the <strike>very</strike> late update. So I figured I would try to finish this next chapter just in time for my birthday so I can give you all a little birthday present from me to you :’)  
I am actually going on vacation for a few weeks so I won’t be able to post the next chapter probably until the end of November or early December. I’m sorry :(  
BUT I WILL BE BACK I PROMISE YOU, LOVE YOUUUU!
> 
> <3//sidereal


	5. Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Butterflies By: Gabbie Hanna_

Adrien can’t breath. The stuffy atmosphere below the surface is only making him suffocate, the previous rule Nooroo had just explained isn’t making it any easier for him. The ground is seeming to swirl beneath his feet and everything is quiet except for a ringing in his ears. 

He needs to get out of here. He needs to get out of here _quick._

He turns to the exit, scurrying around the multiple dancers as Nooroo continues to explain more numerous rules. 

He finally catches his breath once he makes it to the gateway, quietly slipping away without anyone being able to notice.

~

Adrien sighs as he tangles himself within his bed covers. He feels sick. Sick to his stomach. He groans yet again to himself as he repositions in his bed. _How could he have been so stupid?_

He frowns to himself, his eyes merely peering out his apartment’s window. He still can barely register that he is actually here. On his own. Doing what he _himself_ wants to do. Without the watchful eye of his father prying at him every single second. 

Adrien bites his lip as he thinks to himself guiltily, _it almost feels sort of refreshing._ His eyes then look towards his ceiling, then watches the ceiling fan whir around and around. He should be doing something. He needs to be doing something. 

Gosh if Plagg finds out he used up an entire dance-free day like this… all heck is going to break loose. 

Yet he still lays there, now miserably clenching himself as he ponders. Nooroo’s voice is never seeming to halt in his mind, repeatedly reminding him that he needs to make a decision. 

“Should I even go back…” he wonders aloud, clenching his jaw as he squeezes his eyes shut. The excitement, adrenaline, exhilaration that had filled his bones earlier this morning are now a painful reminder of what he has to lose if he decides to stay back. 

But still… how can he go back to a place like that. “I messed up so bad,” he mumbles quietly, now rubbing his face. Not only is the place dangerous but he has already broken… his mind decides not to finish that thought as he groans aloud again. His hands then flop to his sides, his messy mind blurring together all his mixed emotions. 

He slowly rises up in his bed. “Welp, I guess I could use some caffeine.”

~

Marinette hums along lightly to herself as she wanders the stirring streets of London. A jolt in her step, with a goal in her heart. 

No more moping around, she was going to find her inspiration on her own and use that to propel herself forward both into the intensive and _The Akuma._

She’s never quite realized and taken in all the natural beauty of London. All the buildings that are stacked around her, filled with chirping people that are already well into the day. The quiet yet alive lake just a little ways down the road. The simple tiny shops that hold more charm than anything she has ever seen. 

She lets out a long breath of gratitude, twisting her fingers together as she smiles up at the sky.

This, _this_ is what she had needed. A little breather, a walk away from everything that was making her life stressful, and just a moment to appreciate where she is at in life. 

She strolls around the city for awhile, taking in all it has to offer and trying to give everything she has back to it. She wants to remember London for the rest of her life, and that’s why she needs to make something happen that isn’t worth forgetting. She has yet to discover that something, but hopefully luck will be on her side for once and make this trip just that more special. 

Her eyes travel along the sidewalk, hopping over the cracks that have been made overtime. She smiles contently to herself, but that smile is nothing compared to what’s on her face when realizes what is before her. 

A _park._ But not just any park. This park is filled with luscious bushes and trees, various greens mixing with one another. In the center of it lays a rectangle-ish lake with ripples in the water, and if you look close enough you can see the multiple tiny fish swimming around. She can see the sun reflecting off the surface of the water, and almost taunting everyone to not look away. She has finally found her place. Her place to relax… as well to be inspired. 

She giddily skips through the park to a nearby park bench, and flops herself and her belongings onto it. She takes out her earbuds and plugs them into her phone, then turns on some soft instrumental music. She then takes out her sketchbook, flipping it to an open page then merely sitting there. Waiting for inspiration to strike at it’s finest. 

She waits there for about half an hour, plainly staring into the light of day with a few sketches of the lake down in her notebook. But she still hasn’t had the essential inspiration that she needs. A song to dance to, a costume idea, a routine that can make her shine on the dance stage… but nothing is seeming to come up. And Marinette is beginning to lose hope again. 

“Gosh why am I so hopeless today?” she asks herself quietly, falling over her sketch book and leaning down to touch the grass. Her eyes then perk up, seeing something that makes a million possibilities flow through her mind. 

Because there in the grass is nothing other… than a _ladybug._

~

“Gosh, is there anything here with a decent amount of caffeine?” Adrien murmurs as he passes various shops as his finger scrolls through a list of different cafe’s. He can’t decide on what to get. Heck, he can’t even decide where he is wanting to go in first place.

At least he is out of his apartment doing something. His previous draining thoughts are in the back of his mind, and now all he needs to be worrying about is where he needs to go. Though even with something little as that to decide on he is still thinking way too hard about it.

He sighs as he slides his phone into his back pocket, now relying on where his feet are leading him. Wherever to, it must be something good, right?

He roams around the city, striding up and down along the sidewalks and admiring the little details of everything around him. He inhales deeply through his nose then exhales slowly through his mouth. 

He has a part of him that is still amazed to be here. Because not only a few months ago, he wasn’t able to leave the house on his own terms. Yet here he is, Adrien Agreste, walking the streets of London _alone._ He smiles to himself at the thought. 

But even hundreds of miles away he can still feel the strictness of his father’s eye checking up on him from time to time. He can never really ever be able to _actually_ escape. He laughs to himself as he thinks, _I would have to become an entirely new person to do that_. 

He then halts in his tracks, causing people walking behind him to stumble to get around him. He half-heartedly apologizes to them, but most of his mind is concentrated on one tiny thought. Because this summer, he _can_ become someone entirely new. 

He can do anything he wants, if he puts his mind to it. He can do everything and nothing, be anyone he wants to be. There will be no public eye pestering him, no lectures from his father, nobody criticizing him because he doesn’t _have_ to be Adrien this summer. He can be someone he’s always wanted to be.

And all he has to do is attend a certain break dancing club.

He jumps lightly in his place, now looking up at the sky with new possibilities at every corner. He smiles, so raw and real that he can feel tears in his eyes. Because for once in his life, he has an opportunity to break free, and he’s finally going to take it.

He begins to run, first a jog then it emerges into a full on sprint. Never out of breath, he continues to run until finally something makes him stop. Something so tiny and irrelevant that sometimes people take it for granted. But as soon as he saw the small wings of a white butterfly pass his line of vision, all he can do is chase. 

The butterfly doesn’t fly too far away from him, if anything it seems to slow down and stop to wait for him. As if it were leading him to somewhere.

Adrien grins as he grabs for it again, only to miss as it flies pass another corner. “Oh I got you this time,” Adrien remarks, following around the corner with increasing speed only to slow down. Because in front of him is a park. A _splendid_ park. He smiles as he walks closer to it, but once he nears all he can do is stand as he takes it all in.

The trees, the simple swish of the leaves, all the life… and the _butterfly!_ Adrien beams as he runs down towards it, but then he realizes that the butterfly has another target as it flies around someone seated at a bench.

Adrien tilts his head, walking slowly at a distance from the side of the bench. Maybe the butterfly will notice that it’s him and continue flying—

Adrien train of thought halts to a stop, as he stares at the girl seated on the bench. There seated with her twin tails and freckles, giggling as the butterfly twirls around in her hair is none other than _Marinette._

The butterfly spins away, leaving Marinette smiling off into the distance. She then turns her head back onto her work, only to find _Adrien_ standing there staring at her. She squeaks loudly, slamming her sketchbook shut as she jumps up. 

“Wow, uh… Adrien! Fan… fancy see, seeing you here!” Marinette fumbles, inwardly cursing at herself. 

Adrien coughs, then rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah! Uh, I… I was just passing by!”

_This is your moment, don’t mess it up Marinette,_ she instructs herself as she stands up straighter. “Well, um have you been doing...doing anything fun on our day off?” She asks shakily, proud that she at least formed some sort of sentence without dying. 

“I well… nothing. Nothing at _all._ That’s why I wanted to try to get out of my apartment and explore the city for awhile. What about you?” Adrien says.

Marinette panics, thinking all about _The Akuma._ “Erm… well nothing! Not that I’m copying you, but like I literally haven’t been doing anything! Hah, like at all…” her voice fades as well as her confidence. “But, um, I felt like I could use some inspiration.”

Adrien nods. Then his eyes go wide when he blurts out, “Would you like to join me?”

Marinette’s head snaps to look at him, her eyes even wider than his with her cheeks dusted pink. She blissfully look down as she tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “I would like that.”

~

A few moments later, Marinette and Adrien are side by side walking on the sidewalks. Quietly talking and asking questions about one another, slowly but surely starting to grow comfortable. Though for Marinette, she still doesn’t know if this is a dream or not. 

“So, what made you so interested in dance?” Adrien asks, turning to look at her.

Marinette waits for a moment before speaking, a smile growing on her face. “Dance, has _always_ been apart of my life. Whether it was dancing stupidly out on the streets with my best friend, dancing in my family’s kitchen with my mother and father as we were doing chores, or simply coming up with steps to a song I loved… I realize looking back on it now that I always loved dance. Even though it took awhile for me to realize that.”

She pauses again, staring ahead. She then scrunches her nose up while she thinks, then says, “I started taking dance class when I was about five… and a half? Which is usually pretty late for most dancers, especially where I’m from, but I ended up loving it and…” she stops talking, realizing that she is basically telling her whole life story to _the_ Adrien Agreste and she has _almost_ done it in a normal speaking voice.

She however finds herself rubbing the side of her arm and turning to him and asking timidly, “Uh, when… when did you start doing dance?”

Adrien doesn’t even hesitate with his answer. “Practically since I was born. Both my father and mother loved dance very much, and thought it would only be right that their son should feel the same. So ever since I was very young I’ve been following their footsteps, though I feel that I’ll never be able to catch up to their level of expertise,” Adrien explains, his hands moving while he speaks.

“Well, I think that you might surpass your parent’s skills with the level of dance you’re already at. You should be proud of how far you’ve come. I for one think you are a very admirable dancer,” Marinette says softly. She then processes what she had just said then quickly adds with a squeak, “And of course I’m not the only one who thinks that! There are _many_ people who like to watch you dance and search up videos of you and like to talk about you!”

Marinette cringes at herself, _she should have just left her words where they were at._ He probably thinks of her as some sort of—

Adrien chuckles, covering his mouth with his hand as the other stays in his pocket. And his eyes are squinting as he looks at her and his nose is scrunched up, and the way his smile spreads across his whole face…. makes Marinette nearly melt as she walks.

It was by far the most _precious_ thing she has ever seen. 

She smiles and giggles along with him.

Adrien’s laugh finally settles, and he turns his head towards her. “Well thank you, I appreciate it. And also, I was feeling like getting some caffeine, if you want to grab a coffee or something?” He offers.

Marinette shakes her head. “I can’t do caffeine, I had it once and I felt like I was going to explode. But I can always grab something then meet up with you somewhere,” Marinette says discreetly.

Adrien scoffs. “You’ve only had caffeine _once?_ I practically live on it, without caffeine I would probably be dead by now.”

Marinette shrugs. “I guess I just choose to live off different things.”

“Like what?” Adrien asks her.

“_Sweet_ things, I can never seem to get enough of them. Cookies, brownies, macaroons, tarts, pies, cakes… _ice cream!_” Her bright blue eyes seem to grow even brighter as she looks up at a nearby sign. “I know what I want,” she says with a grin.

Adrien raises a brow, turning his head over his shoulder to see a little parlor. A sign on the little building says _Baskin Robbins._ Adrien turns his head back to Marinette. “Ice cream?”

She nods her head ecstatically with pursed lips.

He tilts his head at her, then looks back at the parlor. “I’ll come in with you. I haven’t been into an ice cream shop since I was little, it would be nice to remember what it looks like.”

Marinette’s eyes narrow on Adrien. “You’ve had ice cream since then, _right?_”

Adrien’s eyes transfer from looking at her to the side, and he finds himself shrugging slowly. Marinette gasps, and then steps closer to him. “You are most _definitely_ going into Baskin Robbins with me and I’m buying you something. Gosh, what type of childhood did you have? What type of person are you?” She asks playfully as she points a hand at him. 

“Marinette you really don’t have to do that…” Adrien tries to say, but she was already sliding into the ice cream shop with determination lining her steps. And all he could do was smile before he follows her into the parlor.

~

Marinette hums happily to herself as she pulls out her keys to open up her apartment door, with her stomach full from _Pistachio Almond_ ice cream and one of her arms full of supplies. 

Not only had she gotten to spend part of her day with Adrien, but she had also gotten the inspiration she needed in the first place. It was a win-win. And the best part is that now with all the creative juices flowing inside her head she can get to work with zero distractions—

“Why hello there Marinette,” a cold voice says as she opens the front door. 

Marinette freezes in the doorway, meeting eyes with an icy blue hue. None other then Chloe’s eye color, with Sabrina standing next to her. Marinette snaps her jaw shut and lets out a long exhale of air, _right when she thought luck was on her side…_

“Where have you been?” Chloe asks, her hand on her popped hip with a death glare hooked on Marinette. 

Marinette nods, avoiding eye-contact, trying to mentally decide how she wants this whole interaction to play out. “Um, I’m doing fine Chloe, how are you?” Marinette asks, slowly walking in and closing the door behind her. 

Chloe’s eyes narrow, Sabrina is now crossing her arms. “Dupain-Cheng I said, _where have you been?”_

Marinette casually hides her bag of supplies behind her back. Chloe—out of all people—_cannot_ find out about _The Akuma_, she would most likely be the one to terminate it. Marinette shrugs with a look of innocence coating her features. “I went shopping.”

Chloe nods while she rolls her eyes. “Well obviously, but what were you doing with _Adrien?”_

Marinette almost lets out a breath of relief. At least Chloe wasn’t interested in why she had to leave at six in the morning, and more concerned about the fleeting time she had spent with Adrien. Go figures. 

“Talking? Can’t people do that?” Marinette says, raising a brow at Chloe now. 

Chloe doesn’t seem convinced, but she however rolls her eyes and stomps off towards her room before she says anything else about the topic. Sabrina is scurrying after her.

Marinette sighs, finally content as she wistfully walks into her room. With her mind full of ideas, and a pair of hands that were finally ready to create something for her break-dancing adventures.

Something entirely ladybug themed,

Something entirely her design.

And something that is truly _miraculous._

~

The next few days are exhausting for both Marinette and Adrien, with the taunting fact that _The Akuma_ partner auditions are in little less than a week, and that auditions for duets and solos for the end of the intensive are approaching at a fast pace.

Neither of them are prepared for what’s to come, and that’s what makes this experience that much more terrifying. 

“Gosh Adrien, what is up with your pirouettes today? Did you even sleep last night?” Plagg muses during their one-on-one class during the day.

Adrien lays on the ground, head heavy and his mind completely elsewhere. He did in fact get about three hours of sleep after working on his dance for _The Akuma_, and then prepping his disguise that he still needs to finish. So he is just _thriving_ with his three hours of sleep or so. However he just says, “I did too sleep last night.”

Plagg looks down at Adrien with a deadpan brow raised at him. “How many hours?”

Adrien rolls over on the ground to cover his face then groans. Plagg chuckles.

“Kid you really need to learn how to sleep. I promise you that it will help you, and it will help that caffeine addiction of yours. Speaking of which… where is your usual Red Bull or coffee? Please don’t tell me you already downed it or I’m sending you home,” Plagg notes, scanning the dance room.

Adrien mourns at the thought of a hot steaming coffee, but this morning he found himself showing up to the dance studio with nothing but a bottled water. Marinette had saw him before her morning technique class and gave him a thumbs up as she walked into the classroom. 

But now, he wishes he has nothing else but a nice beverage in his hand that he could chug. “Oh well…” Adrien sighs as he sits up.

“Okay, even though you’re my favorite that still doesn’t mean that you get out of bar work out. Hurry and get up you slacker,” Plagg says as he brushes his hands off, and walks over to Adrien. 

Adrien topples to the ground again, closing his eyes dramatically and squirming around. “Please master! Don’t make me do this! Anything but this!”

Plagg rolls his eyes, and grabs Adrien’s feet and starts to drag him closer to the bar aligned against the wall. “That worked _one_ time, there isn’t any chance it’s happening again.”

Adrien groans again, mournfully thinking of the endless possibilities Plagg may put him through for the ending of class. 

The sound of the door to the classroom being opened is loud, but Adrien ignored it nonetheless. 

“Oh, welcome Tikki and…?” Plagg says then looks at the girl who enters the classroom with a questioning look. 

“This is Marinette,” Tikki finishes, as Marinette nods politely. 

Adrien’s eyes shoot open and he looks back to the entrance of the room to see none other than Tikki and Marinette standing there. Adrien quickly scrambles out of Plagg’s grasp to sit on the floor normally, and he smiles at Marinette sheepishly.

She raises an eyebrow at him with an amused grin coating her features, but her face snaps back onto Plagg when he says, “Thanks for joining the class today, ladies. I thought it would be a good idea with all the auditions coming up for solos and all that.”

Adrien turns to him. “What do you mean?”

Plagg shrugs. “Face it kids, you both are hopeless stressing teenagers who need help if you guys are wanting to get those solos.”

“Woah… who said anything about _me_ auditioning for solos?” Marinette interrupts with a panicked expression. “I think you probably have the wrong dancer here—“

“I did,” Tikki says simply, patting Marinette on the back. 

Marinette turns to her with a mortified look in her eyes, her jaw dropping as she starts to ramble. “Me? _Me?!_ Tikki that is an awful idea, do you even know how I barely made it into this intensive, there’s no way I’ll be able to perform a solo of people’s liking! Besides—“

Tikki places a hand on Marinette’s back, and it silences her. “It will be okay Marinette, that is why both you and Adrien are here in this class together. Because we both know you have the potential to perform stunning solos, and we hope that both of you guys try to push yourselves in this class period so that when the auditions do finally arrive you both will have the confidence in yourselves to prove you are worthy of a solo.” 

Both Adrien and Marinette’s jaws are drooping, and Marinette is trying to find a way to breathe. 

“Now, chop chop and up at the bar. You guys aren’t going to become better dancers by sitting there right?” Plagg says, then makes a face at Adrien who was in fact still on the ground. 

Adrien rolls his eyes before slowly making his way over to the bar, while Marinette quickly scrambles to meet the bar and sets herself in first position. 

Adrien looks over to Tikki and Plagg, who are in fact smirking at one another. All Adrien knows, is that this surely must be so much more than a simple training session. 

He just doesn’t know what for yet. 

~

Multiple training days later, with lyrics of songs, and moves and positions for their dances in scripted in their minds… Marinette and Adrien transform into their alter-ego break dancing selves. Then they set off to _The Akuma_. 

Dressed in disguises made for their liking, with new confidence radiating off their features, they make their way through the dark streets down into the icky sewers below the surface. With a new sense of direction, they both find their way at the entrance of _The Akuma_, where they both proudly told the secret words and stride their way into the confidential club. 

And everything just gets crazier from there.

~

Marinette gulps, now in the entrance of _The Akuma_ and feeling the stress of performing dawn on her. She shakes, and she feels herself wrapping her arms around herself again like she once did in here a week ago. 

“Nervous?” She hears a voice ask her. She turns quickly, only to meet eyes with the doorman. It feels unfamiliar for Marinette to turn every which way to see someone in a mask standing there, but when Marinette sees him she sort of feels relaxed. As though she can trust him is a way, although he is just a simple doorsman. 

But even as a doorsman he is attired in something to hide his identity, it makes Marinette think of what his real life may be like. But for now, deep down below the sewers he’s a man covered by a painted-on gray mask, with his green eyes popping underneath. With a dark tank top that has multiple ridges in it that expose parts of his chest, and a hood attached to the back of it that sits atop of his loose dark orange locks of hair. Along with simple gray sweatpants with a white line on the sides of them with a belt, and beat-up white converse adorning his feet. Marinette can even see in the darkness that he has a numerous amount of freckles all around his face beneath the face mask. With the fake name of _Chulda_ to finish off his disguise. 

She jumps away from him, and then sheepishly scratches the side of her neck. “Is it normal to be?” She asks him with a chuckle. 

He nods as he leans back against the gateway, in case any straying dancers were to arrive. “Of course you should be. Just like every performance, just like every audition, just like how every dancer gets… it’s like that one feeling… what’s it called…” he pauses as he looks up to think. 

“Butterflies,” she finishes for him with a smile. “Like… a million butterflies are flying around in your stomach and you can’t do anything to stop them.”

“Exactly. Speaking of butterflies, every member of _The Akuma_ needs one of these on their arms to be identified, or else you’ll be kicked out and worse things can happen,” Chulda explains as he pulls out a little hand-held machine out of the holder on his belt. 

She backs away from him. “Wh… what is that?”

He holds his hands up, as if he is surrendering. “I promise this is for _The Akuma_ purposes only, trust me on this.”

She pauses before she finally sighs and walks over to him again. 

He puts the machine up to her left shoulder, looking up at her. “This might sting for a moment, but I promise the pain will be temporary.”

“Wait _pain_?! What do you mean?” Marinette asks, panic rising in her voice. 

A needle then pierces her porcelain skin, causing her to wince and scrunch her eyes together. But just as Chulda had said, the pain then disperses quickly and leaves an unusual marking on her skin. 

“This marking is your pass back into _The Akuma_ and your identification, do _not_ let anyone in your day to day life see this. Cover it up, do anything you have to do to hide it. The marking will automatically disappear once you are eliminated from the competition, so you don’t have to worry about it after that,” Chulda explains, now looking down at her shoulder that was now holding the marking of _The Akuma._

Because there, on her left shoulder was nothing other than a small marking of a purple butterfly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, eh heh... sorry for the MEGA update delay, but hey happy new year! Hopefully 2020 will be kind to me so I can give ya'll a proper update schedule. Anyways, I love my little smol son Chulda, it just feels good having one of your own characters in a universe you adore ya know? Hope you all are having a wonderful new year so far, don't forget to leave kudos and comments! I love you all, and this *raises ice cream cone for a toast* is to 2020!
> 
> <3//sidereal


	6. This Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Hey, Look Ma I Made it By: Panic! At the Disco_ and _This Feeling By: The Chainsmokers_

Marinette brushes her hand over the—what it seems like—dark butterfly tattoo. It doesn’t smudge, and Marinette thinks of how the heck was it able to do this on her skin in the first place. 

After signing her fake name down on the ‘auditioners’ list, trying to distract herself for awhile with admiring other dancers disguises, and fretting and going over her dance multiple times in her head… a loudspeaker finally silenced the dying chatter and the thoughts in her head. Then Nooroo on stage stole every dancer’s eyes. 

_It was time._

“Why hello there, ladies and gentlemen, dancers in all. Welcome to _The Akuma_,” Nooroo announces loudly into the microphone, waving his other hand wildly in the air. Applause and clapping emerges, causing Nooroo to grin at the crowd. “I’m sure all of you are _super_ anxious and ready to perform, but before our first dancer takes the stage I need to explain a few things.”

Marinette taps her foot nervously on the concrete floor, clutching herself as she worrily hopes this explanation will move quickly so that she and other dancers can perform and save themselves from this unease. 

“As all of you know, these are partner auditions. Which means that this audition is for your peer’s purposes sonly. Because the higher amount of people that want you as a partner guarantees you a better position in choosing your own partner,” Nooroo starts as he treads the outwalk of the stage, looking at different dancers. 

“And if you totally fail your audition, then I guess you’ll either get chosen—ending up with someone who also disappointed us in their audition—or simply be sent home without a single thought of regret. So I suggest you leave everything you have, here on stage,” Nooroo asserts, and stops his walking for a moment. “Are we clear, dancers?”

Marinette finds herself nodding timidly, as did other members of the crowd. 

Nooroo smirks, slowly backing off the stage. “_Excellent._”

The lights go out suddenly, causing a few screams from the crowd, fog erupts from the stage and music blasts through the speakers. Marinette covers her ears as she stares at the stage before her. Stage lights begin to fade on in numerous different colors in several different places. Lights are on the sides of the stage beaming at the dancers surrounding it, as well as underneath you feet while on stage. 

Marinette feels her heartbeat quicken, her nerves along with excitement all mix together and burst out of her in a loud hollar. She throws her fist up in the air, and for some odd reason she finds herself smiling. People around her begin to join in and pump their fists and whoop.

All her excitement is beginning to take over, but her confidence begins to fade however when she hears the DJ’s voice over the loudspeaker call, “Aye, first dance of the night belongs to… Stormy Weather! Get on up here and claim the stage!”

Cheering begins for the first auditioner—Stormy Weather is her name—and a perky girl takes the stage. Marinette admires from afar at her break-dance attire. Stormy is almost head to toe dressed in multiple different shades and hues of purples. _Including_ her hair. Dressed in a light purple tank top with an adorned lighting bolt, with a dark hue of violet leggings and had a pair of super dark purple vans. Her long hair went down to about her waist, but still Marinette is able to recognize _The Akuma_ marking on Stormy’s shoulder. You would think that having that much purple on one person would make them hard to look at, but Stormy Weather’s attire was almost an ombre of dark colors that fades down her body. 

“Give it up for Stormy Weather everyone!” The DJ cheers over the loudspeakers. The dancers all clap and applaud, and soon music was booming through the speakers and everyone was pulled into Stormy’s dance.

Everyone seems totally entranced, and when the song ended, everyone is almost so blown away that the dance is already over.

This same process repeats for what it seems like hours, dancer after dancer getting on stage to perform. Marinette can tell that all these performers have immeasurable talent, and is anxious but also proud as she watches them dance. Because _she’s_ here as well, and she’s going to prove to them that she can dance too. 

Auditions were going both very well and very crucial for some dancers, some just couldn’t cut it and would run off the stage before their song even ended. While others would stay on the stage an extra couple seconds to pose and wink at the crowd. All Marinette can think is that _there is definitely some variety in personality around this room._

“Alright everyone, next dancer for tonight is… Chat Noir! Give it up for Chat Noir everyone!” The DJ’s voice rings, and everyone begins to rally up just like they had for every other previous dancer. 

A young man takes the stage, walking slowly to the center stage and the lights dim before Marinette can get a good look at him. It’s dark—very close to being pitch black—for a mere moment, but then a beat starts and the lights on stage begin to flash with it. 

Chat then begins to clap along to it, nodding at the crowd to join along. Everyone hesitantly starts to join in, Marinette being one of them, but then the lyrics begin to ring through the speakers and he emerges into his dance…

And all Marinette could do was gawk with her jaw dropped at how smooth and confident he danced as the words of the song stuck themselves in every dancers mind. 

_All my life been hustling, and tonight is my appraisal…_

The lights were still dim, but the lights on stage however are flashing bright whites and greens and outlining Chat’s every move. Marinette finds herself thinking to herself, _he literally is a black cat_, as her eyes stare at his silhouette on stage. 

He bends in every which way, and is flexible as ever. Just like a cat, as he flops over himself, his hands—or paws—always catch him and throw himself back upwards. He was always moving, never ever seeming to stop, to run out of breath, not for a fleeting second to even _hesitate_ as he continues to dance in the darkness. 

But then, _oh but then_, the lights around everyone start to fade back on. It makes people rub their eyes and have to look away for a short second, but once their eyes lie back on stage... there could be absolutely nothing that would make them turn away. 

Marinette gapes, a slight gasp escaping her lips as she scans the dancing feline. Attired in a black tank top with a short sleeved dark jacket that would fall loosely off his shoulders as he moved. The hood also had an added pair of cat ears, Marinette observes. With black sweatpants with an accented green line down the sides of them. And to bring his outfit all together, a pair of green converse cover his feet, black gloves cover his hands, and a black painted-on mask covers his eyes. His ever so _taunting_ eyes.

They are green, like a forest frozen in time on a warm sunny day. His blonde tangles of hair fly as he twirls along the stage, brushing over his face. And the smirk that was doing a dance of its own on his lips, made his performance that much more enjoyable to watch. 

As Marinette watches, a nagging thought keeps coming to mind. _I swear… I’ve seen him before._

Completing a head spin and turning right side up again as the words blast through all the speakers. Chat finally pauses for a moment before the chorus strikes again for the last time, and for a split second—so quick yet so influential—as Chat pops his shoulders up and his hood flies up and flops over his head, green meet bright blue. 

And Marinette finds herself staring deep into the dancer’s eyes, heartbeat quickening, because she’s seen these eyes before. _She’s seen these eyes_. Though she may not know where from, she looked deep into them before just like she was doing this very moment… and it tore her apart on the inside, because she doesn’t know who these lovely eyes belong to. 

And just as the moment had started, it hastily ended when the chorus struck and his eyes were torn away as he proceeds with his dance. 

Marinette blinks, shaking her head for a moment, as if she had just been broken from a trance… and slowly looks up again as Chat’s dance begins to wrap up. 

_Hey look Ma, I made it! I’ma best believe it, I’ma best believe it… hey you must be dreamin’... Hey look Ma, I made it!_

As the last note of the song rings for moment, slowly fading out into the growing excitement of the crowd, Chat takes a moment to look around at all angles from the stage. Dancers of all age and size and gender are screaming and jumping, roaring and chanting his name. He can find his lips gradually begin to rise into a smile. 

He clenches his fists by his sides, happy tears lining his eyes but never falling, and a bitter-sweet smile breaks across his face as he peers down at his feet. He closes his eyes for a moment, quietly whispering to himself, “_I did it, Mom._”

He then takes a bow, cheekily winking at his adoring fans as he dashes off stage. And as Marinette smiles and claps for him, one thought is present in her mind, _I know him._

Her eyes then go wide as another idea pops up in her head, suddenly clicking in resemblance. _He’s the dancing guy from the sewers that I met last time, I’m sure of it!_ Marinette beams, as she stands on her tip-toes, trying with all her might to see where he might have gone. Maybe she could go talk to him, he really is a splendid dancer, what if—

“Now, our final audition for tonight… dancers, give it up to _Ladybug_!” The DJ presents loudly, and everyone begins to clap. 

Marinette freezes in her place, all her thoughts going blank as her body grows tense. Because not only was she the _last_ dancer of the night, but she would also have to go after the most likely best dance of all auditions and match up to it. She finds herself breathing rapidly.

“Ladybug? Time for you to take the stage?” The DJ asks unsurely, most likely trying to find the dancer in the crowd. 

She begins to weave her way through multiple dancers, mind still somewhere else as her body guides her on autopilot. Because _she_ was next, and there were no redos, retakes, or retries… she has to get this perfect. And if she doesn’t… 

Marinette winces as the thought, but then finds herself at the entrance to the stage, a simple black staircase accompanied with handrails to get onto the stage. She gulps, but then notes that her throat is too dry to even swallow. 

Then next thing she knows, her body is on stage, standing helplessly with peering eyes at every angle. And it was _terrifying._

She closes her eyes, trying to calm herself as she inhales through her nose and exhales out her mouth. She can do this, and even if she can’t… then she’s going to try. She opens her eyes with a new fierceness and clenches her fist with a determined quirk in her brow. 

And then… the music begins, and Marinette is lost and then found as an entirely different person. _Ladybug._ Though her nerves and brain are telling her to quit, the various eyes glued on her from the crowd, and her aching body are all a burden… she pushes herself though it all with the best of her ability. 

Chat stares from the audience, near the back of the room, but still tall enough to see what was happening on stage. 

Ladybug with her bluish-black hair tied back into twin tails with red ribbon, begins to flow along to the beat of her song. Slowly yet surely beginning to sink fully into the music and represent the steps in her head. 

_They tell me to think with my head, not that thing in my chest. They got their hands at my neck this time. But your the one that I want, and if that’s really so wrong… then they don’t know what this feeling is like._

She is stunning, her arms, feet, and figure all flowing together to the beat of the music. Suddenly starting out slowly then proceeding to speed up and show some of her more advanced moves. 

Ladybug closes her eyes once again, shutting out all the judging faces and focusing on the music, on her dance, on _herself._ In her red converse, baggy black sweatpants, black polka-dotted red sports bra, red gloves and painted mask… she aims all her energy into her dance. Trying to pour every aspect of her life into it. 

She purses her lips, memories of her first dancing career filling her mind. She had started so late with dancing, does… does she even have a chance in this competition? What if her skills aren’t enough? What if she doesn’t make the cut and is humiliated for the rest of her life?

What if situations threaten her concentration, and her once perfect dance then began to slowly fall apart. 

Her breathing picks up, and she finds the ground almost shifting as she spins and holds her body upright. Everything is spinning, people’s faces are blurring, the music is seeming to blank out, and Ladybug is starting to loose her spark. 

She hyperventilates, squeezing her eyes shut as she tries to remember the steps and perform them correctly. _Seriously, Marinette, I don’t know what part of you thinks that you can be a dancer… you are a Stu—_

Ladybug clenches her jaw as she tries to push out the unwanted memories of her past, but yet they keep coming back. Each time getting harder and harder to bear. 

_Marinette, you’re a failure._

Ladybug pushes her hands to her ears, trying to block out her own voice joined with echoes of her childhood. And just like that, as Ladybug clutches her head in front of everyone, she feels herself trip… and then falls loudly against the cold stage. 

She lays there helplessly curled up in a ball, as the song was cut, and the lights faded back on. 

All she knew, is that this feeling she was having inside of her gut… was definitely not the feeling of being lucky. 

So much for being a ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *smiles innocently*
> 
> Bahah... I'm just _grand_ when it comes to updating things, huh? I think I finally found a proper updating schedule, and that will be to update every other Wednesday... so that means that hopefully the next update will be up on February 5th! Also, I recently got an Instagram! You can follow me @_sidereal_11 for update times, sneak peaks, and all that jazz. I'm hoping to have a Story Highlight dedicated to this story put up soon so people can keep up to date on when I update and other fun things! Anyways, hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter, and have a great day!
> 
> Follow me on Insta! @_sidereal_11 :)


	7. Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Faith By: Galantis, Dolly Parton, feat. Mr. Probz_

She was _stunning_. Chat smiles widely from the back of the giant room, trying to get a better angle as he hops in place trying to see over the towering dancers. The spotted-dancer was everywhere on that stage at once, and Chat couldn’t seem to get enough of her.

She bends up and down, rolling onto the ground then popping right up again. She was incredible, and Chat fees himself grin as a slight smile appears on the dancing ladybug’s face. 

But just as quickly as it had appeared… it was gone. As well as the music, the flashing lights, _and_ the dancer. Because now, she was clutching herself in the center of the stage rocking back and forth. 

He feels his heart drop for her. 

Ladybug’s world freezes. With the lights switched back on and her dancing song fading from the air, all she can do is sit there on stage. Her arms are wrapped around her head, with her body curled tightly up in a ball mid-center stage. And every dancer’s eyes were watching her every move.

Ladybug breathes deeply in and out for herself, trying to calm the ringing in her ears as the mild uprise from the crowd catches her attention.

“Geez, what happened?”

“One second she was flying all around the stage, and the next she was on the ground!”

“Seriously, she needs to learn how to walk properly before getting on a stage to _dance_ nonetheless.”

“I hope she’s okay!”

Ladybug bites the inside of her lip again, squeezing her eyes tighter shut as tears threaten to spill over. And right when she was about to get into her groove too! _Gosh Marinette_, Ladybug internally scolds, _get a grip of yourself._

“Miss… ladybug?” A timid yet demanding voice asks, and Ladybug finds herself slowly opening her eyes. 

She tenses. “Mr. Nooroo, um… Sir!” She says awkwardly as she flies up off the ground, quickly rubbing her eyes, and then brushing the dust off her disguise. 

He smiles. “Thank you for your audition. It was very… _unique_, but as for now I’m going to need you to wait down in the crowd so I can explain how the choosing of partners will go.”

Ladybug blinks. “Choosing of… partners?” She repeats with uncertainty. 

He nods, putting a guided hand on her back and leading her towards the stairs. “I’m sure everything will work out just fine, Ladybug. Just put some faith in your own abilities, okay?” He reassures quietly, and stops guiding her once she reaches the stairs. 

Ladybug looks down. “I’ll have to work on it… but thank you, Sir.” She then walks down the steps without making eye-contact with any of the dancers around her, clutching herself uncomfortably when some dancers try to talk to her. 

Thankfully, Nooroo steals the spotlight before anyone can try to pester or ask Ladybug any dumb questions. 

“Dancers! We thank you _all_ for coming here and auditioning, whatever may happen, know that we have enjoyed having you here while it lasts. As for now, it is time for the choosing of partners.” Nooroo smiles when the crowd begins to cheer yet again, adrenaline and excitement fueling their veins for who they may be ending up with as a dance partner. 

Ladybug frowns, mentally asking herself if it was even worth it to stay here when she knows that she’s most likely going to be sent home. She finds herself starting to walk towards the out-skirts of the room away from the stage, hoping to escape the crowd’s eye. 

“For choosing, the dancers that impressed us and _you_ the most are the ones that will have first-dibs on choosing their partner, and we will slowly start to walk down the scale until we reach the dancers that didn’t make the cut for us. So for the dancers that messed up, the only chance you have is praying that you get picked by a higher dancer, but if not then I guess it’s time for them to hit the road,” Nooroo explains, his hands flying in every direction as he speaks. 

Ladybug grimaces as he speaks. The words repeat in her head, _so for the dancers that messed up, the only chance you have is praying that you get picked by a higher dancer, but if not then I guess it’s time for them to hit the road…_

“I feel like you all will catch on as we move along, but without further ado, we would like to welcome our top five dancers to the stage of this evening!” Nooroo appraises, raising his hands up to the crowd and people respond in cheering. Ladybug however keeps her head down as she continues to find her way through the maze of dancers. 

“So, will Stormy Weather, Volpina, Princess Fragrance, Dark Cupid, and of course Chat Noir come on up here!” Nooroo calls ecstatically, the crowd begins to cheer loudly, though it isn’t nearly as loud as it used to be. Ladybug assumes it’s because some people are disappointed in themselves just like how she feels right now. 

Her ear catches on the last name of the dancer that had been called, what was it again? _Chat Noir_? Ladybug studies the ground as she ponders, could that really be the same boy that was stuck with her in the sewers the other day? No way, that has to be impossible—

She lunges backward as someone rams themselves into her shoulder, causing her balance to shift and she feels her falling backwards. _Great_, Ladybug internally deadpans, _right when I thought my night couldn’t get any worse._

“I’m so sorry!” A voice calls, apprehension lining it and she finds a strong arm holding onto hers. Ladybug blinks, looking around her shoulder down at the ground that was a few terse inches away. She looks up, only to meet with green eyes accompanied with a concerned look.

Her breath hitches as he pulls her back onto her feet. “I am so sorry, I really need to learn how to stop running into people,” the black clothed dancer apologizes, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. 

Ladybug’s mind seems to blank, staring straight at nobody else then Chat Noir, and all those things she had wanted to ask him or talk to him about were now diminished into thin air. “Cat… _Chat_ Noir, right?” She asks hesitantly.

He nods, a grin now growing on his face. “Ladybug?” He returns.

“That’s me,” she says, though she finds herself cringing at her own name. People will probably always remember the unlucky ladybug that failed her dance audition. She cowardly looks down, only to see that his hand still has a tight grip on her forearm. 

He quickly takes his hand away, quirking his head at her with a smile he says, “I’ll see you around, right?”

She opens her mouth to answer, only to pause. “I…” she starts. “I actually don’t… don’t know if I’ll be returning after performing a lousy audition like that,” she says truthfully, though deep down she can feel her spirit wavering.

Chat gives her an encouraging smile. “Oh come on, give yourself some credit. You got up there on the stage, and performed with all these people watching. Some people couldn’t even get on stage without breaking down then running off.”

Ladybug purses her lips. “You performed your _whole_ song, with like—” she cuts herself off as she flails her arms wildly, then points her hands at him. “—just, _effortlessly_!”

He shakes his head, chuckling lightly at her whole hand performance. “Let me tell you something, if may look like I just performed that with ease, but behind that are several all nighters,” Chat says, grabbing her shoulder. 

She giggles lightly, exhaling out her nose. “Well, good luck up there then, Mr. All Nighter,” Ladybug says. 

Chat perks up. “_Shoot_! I need to get up there!” He looks up to the stage that already was filled with the other four dancers. He turns to Ladybug, nodding at her firmly before patting her shoulder and letting go. He smirks at her. “I’ll see you around,” he says again, yet this time he doesn’t say it in a questioning manner. 

He quickly rushes past her, smiling to himself as his fists clench by his sides in determination. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure of it,” he whispers, as he weaves his way through the crowd of admiring dancers. 

~

“Now! Well… _finally_,” Nooroo begins, and passes an expressionless stare at Chat Noir—who cheekily smiles back at him—before he continues. Because Chat was indeed the reason why they had been on stage for a moment with nothing to continue the night with because of his slow arrival up on stage. “But anyways!” Nooroo says into the microphone, shaking himself from his own thoughts. “We can now continue with our process of partners!”

Ladybug crosses her arms from the back of the room, but smiles timidly at the stage.

“So, five dancers, you got a partner you want in mind?” Nooroo queries, turning to the five dancers on stage. 

“Could they be—like—ya know on stage and we can choose them as a partner?” Volpina asks, tossing her chestnut hair that faded into white over her shoulder. 

“Why of course! As long as both of you are in agreement then that is fine, but if you want someone else from the crowd then they are required to be your partner, so choose wisely!” Nooroo clarifies. 

The five dancers on stage begin to exchange glances, also peering over the dancers in the crowd to see what is out to offer. 

“Ya got a partner in mind yet, chosen five?” Nooroo questions, the five dancers nod, with some having a purposeful look in their eye while others unsurely stood there. Nooroo was waiting for no one at this point though. “Alright then, after you announce who you want your partner to be, you will then be able to meet up with your partner and discuss what you are wanting to do about the incoming duo challenge that will be held next week. Or you can call it a night, and come back tomorrow as partners for further details. Whatever happens, let me say it again, we thank you all for joining us tonight at _The Akuma_.” Nooroo turns to the five dancers again.

“Who would like to start us out for tonight? Remember, first-come, first-serves.” Nooroo holds out the microphone for any of the five to take hold. The dancers stay still for a moment, but then a black-gloved hand firmly takes the microphone. 

“I guess I will.”

The room falls into dead silence, as Chat Noir adjusts the microphone in his hands, clenching his teeth as his eyes scan the room. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, because he knows for a fact who he is going to choose. _Well, why not add a little suspense?_ Chat asks himself. 

He coughs into the microphone, tapping it with his gloved-hand and raising a brow at the crowd. “Well, before I announce who I want so desperately to be my partner, I…” he hesitates as his eyes look at the overwhelming size of the crowd. “I… just wanted to say all of you have immeasurable talent, and that I’m _very_ excited and privileged to be dancing against you all. So thank you all for making this opportunity real for me,” Chat voices softly into the microphone, and the crowd starts clapping and whooping. 

“And now,” Chat breathes, jumping to himself in place. “I would be so very honored, if _Ladybug_ would be my partner?”

Shocked gasps arise from everywhere in the room, the loudest of them all coming from none other than Ladybug herself. Eyes and backs turn so they could get the view of the spotted-dancer in the back of the room, with a dim spot-light being shown down on her. Ladybug feels her jaw drop slack, her mind going absolutely black, and her arms going loose. He wants _her_ to be _his_ partner, out of all heckin’ people?!

“Chat, Nooroo literally just said that if you are part of the top five and you choose someone from the crowd they don’t even have a choice to reject you—” Dark Cupid starts, only to be punched in the shoulder. 

“Don’t ruin the moment!” Princess Fragrance scolds quietly, Dark Cupid raises a concerned eye-brow at her, but then backs away while rubbing his arm nonetheless. 

Ladybug swallows, shaking herself out of her blank state to try to manage to speak some-what of a sentence back to him. She closes her mouth, gulping to herself, and finally standing up straight where she stood. “I’d like that very much, Chat Noir.”

~

Marinette has her fingers entwined with her head resting on top of them as she sits cross-legged atop of her bed. She blinks to herself trying to recall everything that had happened that night, how quickly the time flew when Chat and her agreed to meet up the next day to discuss at _The Akuma_ what their game-plan would be. 

She still can’t quite believe she would be returning there in the first place. Last night when she had auditioned she thought she would never see the place again, yet here she is, mentally preparing herself for the day and the late-night run she would have to make to _The Akuma_ with her new dance partner.

Marinette digs her hands into her head, ruffling up her hair as she rocks back and forth. “Why the heck would he even choose me though! Out of all people! There were so many—”

“Seriously, Marinette you should stop talking to yourself,” A snotty voice calls outside her room, accompanied with loud knocking on her door. “It makes you even more annoying to handle, _weirdo_.”

Marinette sighs to herself, standing up and marching over to the door. Knowing all too well who it was, _again_. “Well, Chloé, you… you should just,” Marinette pauses as she thinks of a comeback. “You should just stop being... yourself?” She weakly counters, mentally face-palming herself. 

Marinette quickly jumps back onto her bed and throws her face into the nearest pillow before she could hear the sickening sound of Chloé’s laughing. 

~

Marinette clutches tightly onto her water bottle as she enters her next class for the day, the class that makes her most worried, it was _the_ class. Her solo prepping class _with_ Adrien. 

“Hey Marinette!” Adrien happily greets her as she walks into the classroom. She salutes him awkwardly as she takes a swig of water from her bottle. 

“Looks like you got no sleep,” Tikki notices, as she plays with the radio connected to the wall that would soon be streaming music. _That is basically true_, Marinette confirms in her mind, but on the outside she shrugs with an uncertain smile. 

Plagg whistles as he lays on the ground, looking up at the two teens as they set down their belongings and begin to stretch out. “You two are a lot alike, eh? Zero sleep, dancing fanatic, and low self-esteem?”

Marinette turns to Adrien as she begins to lower herself down into middle splits. She pinches her lips together and her eyes go wide. “Shoot, he’s good.”

Adrien nods to her in agreement. “He must’ve been the same, or probably even worse,” Adrien adds, giving her wide eyes back with an amused grin. 

Plagg lays his arms behind his head as he stares at the ceiling. “Please don’t tell me you drink those same horrid drinks as he does? Or so help me I’m kicking both of you out.”

Marinette raises a brow at Adrien, as she transfers into her next stretch. 

Adrien lowers his shoulders in defeat as he pulls his leg towards himself. “Energy drinks and all that jazz,” Adrien explains with a roll of his head. 

Marinette quickly shakes her head with a distasteful look on her face. “_Ew_ I can’t do those sorts of things. Hot chocolate will always be my go-to.”

Adrien rolls his eyes mockingly at her. “Try it _once_. I swear, it will change your life.”

“_Don’t_. It will _ruin_ your life. Stick to your sweet stuff,” Plagg interjects, pointing his finger at Marinette who nods obediently at him. Plagg then cocks his head over to Adrien. “Why weren’t you ever like this? Seriously, you were a pain in my butt, and Marinette over here has already figured out the process,” Plagg says to Adrien.

Adrien gives Plagg a deadpan look.

Plagg begins to make a _‘shoo’_ motion with his hands. “Leave, unobedient child, I don’t want you here no more. Get out of my classroom,” Plagg scoffs. 

“You mean _my_ classroom,” Tikki says, walking next to Plagg and then banging a manual in her hand on his head with a smirk. “Only I get to force students out of my room.”

Plagg rolls his eyes. 

Adrien coughs purposefully, putting his hand up to his mouth. “Shoot Tikki always rolling in with that sass, how ya feel now Plagg?”

Plagg sits up quickly, snatching the manuel from Tikki’s hands and throwing it at Adrien. All this happening in a blur, Adrien was barely able to dodge it with an alarmed scream. 

Marinette finds herself giggling to herself at the whole situation. 

Tikki claps her hands, causing all eyes in the room to turn to her. “Okay, before you two end up killing one another, can we please run through the choreography to the dance we learned about two days ago? Marinette, Adrien, I really hope you remember it,” Tikki advises, picking up her fallen manuel off the floor. 

The two teens stand up, looking at one another. 

Adrien continues to stretch, but sends a grin Marinette’s way. “What do you think, Marinette? Do you remember it?”

Marinette smiles timidly as she stands in place, her thoughts suddenly returning to the previous night at _The Akuma_. She finds her smile growing, as she puts her hands on her hips. “Have a little faith in me, and I think everything will turn out just fine,” she answers. 

Adrien finds himself freezing as she smiles at him. _Have a little faith in her._ He nods to her. _Trust me Marinette, I have more faith in you then you even realize_, he thinks to himself as he glances over at her. But out loud he just says, “Alright then, let's do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, these kids seriously need to learn to stop running literally into each other. 
> 
> Follow me on Instagram! :D  
@_sidereal_11


	8. Do You Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Do You Remember By: Jay Sean Feat. Sean Paul & Lil John_

“Why am I even in this class?” Marinette ponders aloud as she lays sprawled out on the ground, her eyes glued to the ceiling. 

Tikki smiles down at her student, as Plagg and Adrien begin to pack up their bags and shut off the sound system. “Because we know you can make a difference,” Tikki says simply, as she flips through her manual again.

Marinette’s brow furrows. _But still, what have I even done to deserve this?_

“Come on, let’s get you out of here before you start overthinking everything, _again_,” Tikki suggests, extending a hand towards her. Marinette gladly takes it, and Tikki hoists her off the ground in one swift motion. 

Marinette thanks her and watches Tikki as she begins to gather up her own belongings. It was strange to realize that she had only been here for a little over a week, and yet her own dance instructor knew things about Marinette that she doesn’t even begin to comprehend about herself. She beams as she looks at her dance coordinator with a soft smile, thinking to herself, _maybe there are more people looking out for me then I thought._

~

“Seriously, your turns were awful and your form was off,” Plagg notes as Adrien and him begin to walk out of the dance studio, saundering as they wait for Tikki and Marinette to catch up. 

“Wow, thanks a lot for the encouragement,” Adrien grumbles, adjusting his handbag that was containing all his dance supplies. He pulls out his water bottle and begins to drink out of it. 

“It’s almost as if you are… _distracted_ in some way,” Plagg says cunningly, sending a smirk and a raised brow Adrien’s way. 

Adrien chokes on his water, spraying water out in front of him on the sidewalk. He quickly screws his bottle lid back onto his water bottle. He hurriedly wipes straying water from his face and shoves his bottle back into his bag. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Adrien sputters.

Plagg cackles, toppling over himself as he watches his student scramble to get all the water off of him. “Your! Face! That was…” Plagg pauses as he tries to catch his breath. “Priceless! Absolutely priceless!”

Adrien glares, now starting to walk faster ahead of him. 

“Hey! Wait up you jerk!” Plagg calls as he tries to calm his laughter. 

Adrien sighs, trying to not suppress a smile as Plagg wipes tears of joy from his eyes. _Seriously how’d I get stuck with such a whack dance coordinator like you?_ Adrien internally asks, as he watches Plagg attempt to collect himself. 

“Wow what happened to you two?” They hear someone yell from behind them, only to turn and see Tikki and Mairnette walking out of the dance studio. Tikki hurries and locks the building’s doors before both her and Marinette catch up with the boys. 

Plagg justs tilts his head to Adrien. “How bout’ _you_ tell them? You are the one who made this walk out of the dance studio _so_ incredible,” Plagg coos, wagging his eyebrows. 

Adrien shoots that offer down instantly. “How about _nobody_ tells them what happened?”

“Did you choke on water or something?” Marinette offers with a grin, looking down at the water that was coating the sidewalk. 

Adrien starts to feel the tip of his ears fringe with embarrassment. While Plagg begins to laugh once again. “More like choking on _air_!” Plagg howls, clutching his stomach as he begins to have another laughing attack. 

Tikki and Marinette giggle along, while Adrien hides his face behind one of his hands. 

“Hey that’s alright! You may choke on air, but I trip on air all the time. You have nothing to feel embarrassed about,” Marinette says once the laughter finally dies out. “My parents always make fun of how I’m a ballerina, yet all I can seem to do is trip over things that aren’t even there.”

Tikki and Plagg smile at her, while Adrien just stares. 

“But hey I’ll see you all tomorrow for this class again! Solo auditions are at the end of the week so I promise to work extra hard tomorrow! I’ve got some stuff to do so I’ll see you all then!” Marinette happily speaks, giving them a wave before she runs off in the direction of her apartment. 

“See you then Marinette!” Adrien calls out to her, waving as she runs off. 

Adrien watches her as she begins to fade from view, a smile forever on his face. All while Plagg and Tikki watch him with a look of utter disappointment plastered on their faces. 

“Seriously?! Did we teach you nothing about manners?!” Plagg says loudly, breaking Adrien out of a trance he didn’t know he was in. 

“I… what?” Adrien mumbles, confused with what’s going on. 

“_All_ the students attending this intensive are living in the same building, and that includes you,” Tikki explains. 

Adrien squints his eyes at them. “What’s your point?”

Tikki face palms. 

“She’s your friend, right? The least you could have done is offer her a ride home with us or walk her back,” Plagg says, snickering at the end of his sentence. 

Adrien’s eyes go wide, his cheeks suddenly going red with embarrassment once again. “Guys why didn’t you say anything?! She’s probably already home by now,” Adrien realizes, now having everything dawn on him. 

“You really are oblivious,” Plagg says. 

“I’m a terrible friend,” Adrien pities himself as he walks with his head down towards his awaiting limo. 

~

Later that evening, when the sun was setting, having the sky set ablaze with several hues of orange and yellow. Marinette then transformed herself into Ladybug. 

Ladybug looks at herself in the mirror, nodding to herself. _She was ready._

~

“Well, well, _well._ Look who’s back so soon?” The doorman, Chulda, muses from behind his trapdoor. 

Chat Noir deadpans, raising a brow at him. “Miraculous. Just let me in already.”

Chulda shrugs behind the gateway, sighing to himself as he closes the trap door so he could open the actual door way. The giant gate opens with a loud creak, music leaking out and filling the eerie sewer with a beat. 

“You kids nowadays are no fun,” Chulda says plainly, shutting the gateway once Chat was inside. 

“Psh I’m practically an adult!” Chat persists, his hands on his hips as his eyes scan the less-crowded dancing floor. _I guess more people decided to stay later yesterday then come here today,_ Chat notes. 

“Nah, you’ll always be a two year old. And you know that,” Chulda says smugly, crossing his arms as he leans against the doorway. 

Chat purses his lips, tilting his head. “I guess you're not wrong about that.”

Chulda grins at him. “Good luck with the competition by the way. You and your partner have a hard trail ahead of you,” Chulda speaks, his grin fading into a somber expression. “Don’t take this experience for granted.”

Chat’s eyes go wide at his sudden change of demeanor, but he still keeps a smile on as he says, “don’t worry. We may be just _‘two year olds’_ but we’ll prove we’re supposed to be here.”

Chulda’s smile then returns, scoffing to himself then looking over the mere crowd of dancers. “Speaking of your partner, she came in just a little under ten minutes ago. I think she may be towards the back of the room.”

Chat’s eyes immediately turn to the back of the room, trying to find his spotted partner though he only finds himself squinting into the dimly lit room. 

“Ladybug seems to be doing a bit better today then yesterday. I can’t blame her though, nerves get the best of a lot of people,” Chulda says softly, now patting Chat on the back. “I remember that feeling before performing, feeling the adrenaline yet the nagging continuing of pinching in your gut. Just… remember why you’re here.”

Chat stares at the lingering hand on his shoulder. He clenches his fists by his sides, nodding to Chulda with a determined look behind his eyes. “Of course, we’ll remember.” 

Chulda then points out Ladybug in the crowd, and Chat thanks him before scurrying off to greet her. 

Chulda finds himself smiling bitter-sweetly watching the two see each other and interact. He looks down to the ground, intertwining his fingers together. _They may not know it yet, but those two are going places._

~

“Hey Ladybug! Feeling a bit better today I hear?” Chat perks, tapping her on the shoulder. 

She jumps and turns quickly with an alarmed squeak, only to relax when her eyes meet his. “Oh, Hello Chat Noir. Yeah… doing better,” Ladybug says slowly, trying to piece her words together correctly. Half of her can still believe that she was _his_ partner. 

“That’s _paw_-some! Glad to hear that you’re _feline_ better about this whole thing,” Chat says cunningly, looking over at her with a pleased grin starting to grow on his face. 

Ladybug blinks. The words he had just said processing through her brain. A disenchanted groan escapes her lips as she stares at him. _Just kidding maybe she’ll end up regretting having to be his partner--_

Chat laughs, his hand coming up to his face to cover his mouth. “Oh my gosh I can’t believe I just said that…” he chuckles. 

Ladybug smiles, trying to be supportive yet still confused about literally everything he was doing.

Chat sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, this whole… _secret identity_ thing is kind of cool ya know? I can be whoever I want to be without anyone having to judge,” he explains sheepishly, yet he beams as he talks about it. 

Ladybug’s smile begins to turn sincere. “Yeah, the real world sometimes makes it hard to be your true self, huh?”

Chat nods, agreeing with her. But his face suddenly turns soft, a warm smile spreading across his face. “But thankfully, there are certain people who understand you and support you no matter what.”

The music then fades dramatically, the talking in the crowd diminishing as a spotlight on stage appears. Nooroo then takes the stage like he always does, though this time he doesn’t seem as enthusiastic about it. 

He leans away from the microphone as he yawns, he then looks at the crowd for a moment before continuing. “Why couldn’t you all have just stayed an extra hour or two yesterday so I didn’t have to be here today?” He complains into the microphone, obviously tired as he rubs his face. 

Multiple dancers shrug. “Well _I’m sorry_ that I needed sleep after performing an audition that wiped all my energy out _and_ having to wait in anticipation for my partner! I may or may not have slept in until one in the afternoon because of that!” One of the contestants even yelled. 

Heads turn to the dancer, all with dumb-found expressions. 

_Well that’s a mood if I ever did see one_, Ladybug internally praises. 

Nooroo coughs. “Well um, anyways…” He raises an eyebrow at the sleep-deprived dancer in the crowd. “I only got about four and a _third_ hours of sleep last night so thank you very much,” Nooroo counters, nodding to himself in certainty. 

“But you all are here now to hear what I have to say about dance partner and what your next challengers and all that jazz, correct?” Nooroo asks the crowd, who then reply in various nods. “Well, basically, like I said in our first meeting here… we have ten weeks here at _The Akuma._ We need to get through all the dancing competitions before the end of that, and because of our swelling amount of dancers this year… we have decided to hold the competition in a different way. 

“Instead of every week having to come prepared with a dance to face different opponents and kicking them out, Hawkmoth has decided that we are going to hold our first ever _Akuma_ dancing bracket. Which means, you will be paired up against another duo of dancers, and if you win that dance battle, you move up, and if you lose… well then you’re gone. Pretty simple, right? Just you won’t have a battle every single week, but you are always welcome to come and support. We’ll hopefully have a proper bracket set up soon, so that way we’ll be able to have an acclaimed champion by the end of Summer,” Nooroo explains, his light purple eyes transfering from the ground to the dancers. “Clear?” He asks. 

Dancers answer by calling out to him. 

But all Chat and Ladybug did was turn and look at each other. He nods to her. 

She smiles, standing a bit taller. “_Crystal_.”

~

The timer to the oven goes off with a loud _beep_, causing Plagg to jump in his spot on the couch while Tikki hops out of her spot with a joyful scream. 

“Seriously woman, you have an addiction,” Plagg claims, keeping his eyes glued to the television as he switches channels while Tikki runs over to the kitchen. 

Tikki pulls out the freshly baked cookies with her red oven mitts, sighing happily to herself as she takes in the pleasing aroma. She sets them down atop the oven before turning back to Plagg. “Says the one who has a plate of camembert right next to him,” she smugly replies, a smirk dancing on her lips as she leaves the cookies to cool. 

Plagg’s eyes then transfer to the simple plate of camembert, he quickly picks of the plate defensively and holds it close to him. “Shhh don’t listen to her,” he whispers to his cheese. 

Tikki makes a face at him, stealing some of the blanket from him before taking a seat next to him. She takes the remote from him and starts flipping channels for them. 

Plagg resists against her urge for the blanket, causing her to huff and pull for it more. “Stinky Socks so help me--” Tikki says, starting to clench her jaw and raise a brow as she tries to snatch more of it. 

Plagg sets his plate of camembert on the side table next to the couch, now fully holding the blanket with both hands. He wags his eyebrows. “Help you with what?” He sneers, pulling back on the blanket with a competitive grin. 

Tikki puffs her cheeks out. Still tugging on the blanket but then suddenly smiles when an idea pops into her head.

Plagg continues to resist against her pulling, the same stupid smirk plastered all over his face. 

Tikki quickly leans over and pecks him on the cheek.

Plagg lets go of the blanket, a surprised peep coming out of him as he begins to fall backwards off the couch in embarrassment. 

Tikki is able to catch him by the hand and pull him back onto the couch before he does so, where he has to sit there for a moment before turning to her with a cheeky smile. “I should help you with things more often, Sugar Cube,” Plagg whispers to her. 

Tikki giggles, finally settling with the amount of blanket she has and letting herself sink deep into the couch. 

Plagg finally is resolved with his spot as well, scooching in deeper and wraps an arm around Tikki. “But… I think you do know what we need to talk about,” he says seriously. 

Tikki nods slowly, leaning into his touch. “I know we do, I honestly…” She pauses for a moment. “I still can’t believe we did it.”

Plagg sighs. “Me too. But we both know that this needed to happen at some point, besides… I think everything will turn out okay.”

Tikki turns and looks at him. “Plagg, we sent _teenagers_ into that club. That repulsive club…” she clenches her jaw, her voice going quiet. “If this is going to work we’re going to have to tell them. _Both_ of them.”

Plagg nods. “I know that, just do they need to know now? Know of each other? I don’t think it’s our place to tell them who they are. Especially this early into the competition, they’ll blow their cover,” Plagg explains softly. 

Tikki purses her lips, now shaking her head. “Still, I don't feel right lying to Marinette this way. I think my chosen should know that I was the one who sent her to _The Akuma_. I’m going to tell her one way or another, whether you tell Adrien or not, and I want you to know that.”

Plagg groans. “Tikki this is extremely confidential, they may be just teenagers but their not stupid, we chose them for a reason. They’ll know that were trying to accomplish something more than just being their mentors, and that’s why I think I’m going to have to… wait awhile before telling Adrien.”

“You can tell Marinette, but whatever happens please don’t tell her about Adrien. _Not yet_. I think they should continue in the competition and let things unwravel for themselves, I think it will be better that way,” Plagg says. 

Tikki inhales deeply, looking down at the ground with a somber expression. She looks back at Plagg with a trembling look in her eyes. “Gosh I really hope this works,” Tikki mumbles, biting her lip. 

Plagg shushes her, pulling her into a tight hug. “It will. They’re strong, and soon they’ll have us to help them as well. Everything will turn out alright, okay?”

Tikki leans up from his shoulder for a moment, sniffling before saying weakly, “Okay.”

Plagg chuckles as she rests her head in the crook of his neck again, and he leans his head on top of hers. “Do you remember how we used to dance there? With all the lights, music, and…” he scoffs at the memory. “All the weird people we met down there?”

Tikki giggles lightly from her spot. “I remember. The adrenaline… the feeling we got every time we performed. All the pump-up talks I had to give you,” Tikki whispers to him, smiling to herself at the thought. 

“Hey! I was the one giving _you_ the pump-up talks, don’t even start with me,” Plagg remarks, nuzzling her head with the side of his cheek. 

Tikki laughs. “Oh whatever, fine. It was _both_ of us.”

The two sit there in the comfort of one another, listening to the show playing on the television softly in the background. Whispering and laughing at one another with all the memories they share.

Tikki then perks up suddenly as her mind remembers the tray of cookies in the kitchen, and she hurriedly scrambles to get herself a small napkin full of them along with a glass of milk. 

“Come on just have _one_, I promise it will change your life,” Tikki says as she takes her place again on the couch, offering Plagg a cookie. 

He eyes it with a distasteful look, but snatches it anyways. “Fine, but that doesn’t get you out of trying _my_ wonderful food,” Plagg says, now exchanging one of her cookies with his slimy piece of camembert. 

Tikki gags. “No way.”

Plagg tilts his head at her, frowning at her. 

She exhales for a long time, preparing herself mentally as she picks up the foul-smelling piece of cheese. 

Plagg knocks his cookie against her cheese, smiling wistfully at her. “Cheers!”

Tikki bumps their food together. “Cheers…” she says unenthusiastically. 

They then both take a bite into their opposing food. 

A slight shrug from one then an unholy screech from the other then fill the apartment short afterward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry ya'll I didn't get this updated early in the day, but rather _quite_ later... but hey that's just the way the _cookie crumbles_ sometimes ya know? (ohmigoshimapunmaster *snicker*) BUT AT LEAST I GOT IT UPDATED ON THE RIGHT DAY AYEEE-
> 
> Come bother my on Insta! ;D  
@_sidereal_11


	9. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter... _Hope By: The Chainsmokers___

“First position, Second, Third…” Tikki’s voice rings throughout the dance room, as the synced taps of feet meet the ground as the multiple dancers follow along through the different positions. 

Marinette finds herself grinning as her hand joins with the bar aligned on the mirror wall. These positions were almost second nature to her, she knew and recognized them more then the back of her own hand at times. 

“And rest, thank you dancers,” Tikki finishes, as dancers gracefully drop their hands to their sides. “Alright, remember to go over those combos a few times before tomorrow and I think we’ll be set, have a good rest of your day!”

Dancers leave the bar, turning to one another and starting to exchange small talk as they go to gather their supplies. Marinette, however, quickly grabs her dance bag and water bottle and scurries towards the door. 

“Hold up Dupain-Cheng, where do you think _you_ are going?” An icy voice slices behind her, causing Marinette to freeze in her steps as she holds back a groan. 

_Curse this class_, Marinette internally says as she slowly turns on her heels to the person behind her. “Oh, _Chloe_ I uh… I didn’t see you there! Did you… uh well… need something?” Marinette weakly asks as she brings her belongings closer around herself. 

Chloe scowls at her, tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed. Sabrina stands innocently next to her. 

Marinette gulps, already knowing where this encounter could be heading. 

“Where are you heading?” Chloe demands, stepping closer to Marinette. 

Marinette holds her ground, inhaling slowly as she tries to keep her cool. “I’m heading to my next dance class, Chloe. As you should be doing,” Marinette says calmly. 

Chloe narrows her eyes. “And which class are you so… _desperately_ trying to get to so fast?” Chloe pesters. 

Marinette bites the inside of her lip. Her solo-training class with Adrien was next… but there was _no_ way she could let Chloe know that. “I…” Marinette hesitates, her words slowly crumbling as she backs away. 

Other dancers begin to pass them, paying no attention to them as they go along to their next classes. And Marinette didn’t know any of them well enough to call out in help for. 

Chloe leans in closer, with a brow raised. “You really should speak up, _Marinette_.”

Marinette’s shoulders slump in defeat as her mind gives up with finding another way out of this one. “Fine, my next class is a s—”

“Oh, Chloe and Sabrina? I don’t remember you having your next class with me,” a voice interrupts, as an arm lands comfortably on Marinette’s shoulder. 

Chloe pulls away quickly, startled by the new person who jumped into their conversation. 

Marinette turns to the person next to her, letting her body sink in relief and she lets out a long breath of gratitude. While Tikki gives her a soft grin before turning towards the other dancers before her. 

“You two should hurry on to your other classes before you’re late. If you leave now I think you’ll be able to get there in time,” Tikki notes, motioning towards the classroom doorway.

Chloe grits her teeth in frustration, tossing her hair over her shoulder before snapping at Sabrina to grab their dance bags. Sabrina quickly scrambles to grab both her and Chloe’s belongings before they began to walk out of the classroom. 

As Sabrina begins to venture out of the classroom, Chloe pauses by Marinette’s side, quickly giving her a look. “Stay out of my way Dupain-Cheng, or so help me…” Chloe whispers lowly, for only Marinette’s ears to pick up. 

Marinette’s breath hitches, and she turns to make eye-contact with Chloe but she turns only to see nothing but her own reflection in the mirrored wall. 

Marinette purses her lips, clenching her fists by her sides. 

“Wow you good there? I know Chloe can be a bit well… _dramatic_ at times,” Tikki says softly, now wrapping her other arm around Marinette and pulling her into a loose hug. 

Marinette sighs, giving in and resting her head on Tikki’s shoulder. “I… I’m fine,” Marinette claims. 

Tikki tilts her head down at her. _Sure you are_, Tikki responds on the inside. On the outside she just lets out a long exasperated breath, and pulls away from Marinette. “Whatever you say. But we should really be getting to our next dance class, shall we?” Tikki offers, giving the dancer a smile. 

Marinette perks up. “Oh my gosh we're gonna be late! _I’m_ going to be late! Plagg better not mark me tardy again—” Marinette yelps as she sends Tikki a smile before running out of the classroom. 

Tikki giggles at her young chosen, watching Marinette act all flustered before she booked it out of the class. Tikki then gathers her supplies, shuts off the lights, and smiles at her classroom before locking the door and walking out. 

Tikki’s brow furrows as she strays down the long hallways, bitter-sweetly smiling to herself. _I told Plagg that I would tell Marinette everything as soon as I saw her next… but now…_ Tikki looks up to Plagg’s classroom, peering through the small window in the door at the two precious dancers inside. 

She pauses at the door, laughing lightly at Plagg who was smirking at an irritated Adrien. She then transfers to Marinette, who stands there giggling at them and begins adding in to the conversation. She’s really clicked with the group well. Tikki beams, but then again falters at the door handle. 

_But now… I’m finding it harder to finally tell you the whole truth, Marinette._ Tikki hesitates before finally opening the door, then hears greetings from the three. _Hopefully one day it’ll all make sense to you._

~

“Tikki you’re late,” Plagg says flatly, crossing his arms. 

Tikki rolls her eyes, picking up a familiar manuel out of her bag and threatening to throw it at him. “Sorry I was too busy enjoying my time not being here,” Tikki counters smugly.

Plagg hisses at her but then it fades as he turns away from her, somberly walking away. “Wow I’m hurt, Sugarcube,” Plagg whimpers sarcastically. 

Tikki snorts as she sets her stuff down. 

Marinette raises a brow quizzically. “_Sugarcube_?” 

Tikki groans, her cheeks slightly fringing. 

Adrien leans closer to Marinette. “Plagg has always called Tikki Sugarcube and Tikki always calls him Stinky socks, pretty cute, eh?” Adrien whispers with a chuckle. 

Marinette coos, putting her hand to her heart. “_So_ cute.”

“Shut up both of you, or else I’m adding five minutes of fondues at the end of this class,” Plagg calls from the other side of the classroom, as he starts to fidget with the sound system to connect music to the room speakers. 

“Like you weren’t going to make us do that anyways,” Adrien whispers cheekily.

“I said _shut up_. Hurry and get stretching,” Plagg orders. 

The two dancers snicker to one another before dropping down to the floor to start stretching. 

“Seriously though, why do we have to switch classrooms every other day? Why don’t we just keep this class in my classroom? It would be a lot easier and _a lot_ better smelling,” Tikki says as she walks to the center of the room and begins to stretch as well. 

“My room does not smell _that_ bad,” Plagg remarks, still tinkering with the sound system. 

Tikki sighs. “Be honest with me, when was the last time you _actually_ cleaned this place?”

Plagg stays quiet, then turns around abruptly and claps his hands loudly. “Alright class has begun now! There will be no further questions asked!”

Tikki drolls, an amused smile on her face. 

“But for real, solos are tomorrow, and that’s why today we will be perfecting your solos to the final consent. So let’s try to keep this class session as close to on track as we can,” Plagg says seriously, looking at the dancers. He then turns to Tikki with a blank expression. “And I mean _all_ of us keep this class on track,” he repeats. 

Tikki blows a raspberry at him. “Talk to the mirror then we’ll be set.”

Plagg rolls his eyes and groans, while the two young dancers laugh loudly. 

“Well then, let’s get this going,” Adrien says as he stands from off the ground.

“Yeah, try to tell me everything that I can tweak to make my performance even better. I really want to make this audition-dance the best it can be,” Marinette says sanguinely, smiling from ear to ear. 

Everyone in the room admires her positivity. 

Plagg cracks his knuckles. “Let's get a move on then.”

~

“You two really are incredible,” Tikki speaks truthfully, as the two dancers lean against the wall chugging water from their bottles. 

Marinette rubs her arm against her forehead, her arm now having a thin layer of sweat. Her face goes light pink, only now realizing that she looks like _this_ in front of Adrien—

“We both worked really hard today, and I hope it really paid off,” Adrien says, nudging his arm to Marinette. 

Marinette breaks out of her train of thought, turning to Adrien. Only to stare, with her blue eyes going wide. At his messy blonde hair, his flushed face, and the simple lining of sweat that seems to make his face glisten even more than usual. 

Marinette was actually very surprised that her dancing journey in this specific class has worked out this well, in the beginning she was so nervous, shy, and absolutely _terrified_ of messing up and embarrassing herself in front of Adrien. But now, she finds herself making silly remarks and jumping into conversations. All of them… Plagg, Tikki, and Adrien… have been nothing but huge examples and extremely kind to her. 

She can only hope to repay them someday. 

Marinette’s face flushes crimson, quickly snapping her line of vision back on Tikki. 

“You both worked hard today, and I expect to see you both at auditions dancing with ease tomorrow afternoon,” Plagg says. 

Marinette and Adrien nod in sync, determination lining their eyes. 

_This audition I won’t mess up, I guarantee it_, Marinette thinks to herself. 

“Good. Now get out of my classroom you two,” Plagg says, crossing his arms. 

Tikki shoves him. “Don’t mind him, take as much time as you need to stretch out and collect your belongings. It’s not like Plagg is going to be leaving anytime soon.”

Plagg snaps his vision onto Tikki. “How would _you_ know?”

Tikki shrugs with a light smirk coating her features. 

“I have my precious cheese awaiting me at home,” Plagg remarks, throwing his arms out towards the classroom door as if his cheese at home was reaching towards him as well. 

Tikki scoffs, rubbing her eyes and laughing lightly. “I work with idiots,” she whispers. 

Marinette quirks her head, which was becoming more of a common thing as she questions everything her dance teachers do. “_Cheese_?” Marinette repeats, amusement lining her voice. 

“Camembert,” Adrien and Tikki say in utter unison, shaking their heads with the same distasteful look on their faces. 

Plagg nods in approval. “It’s _so_ good.”

Marinette wrinkles her nose. 

“Don’t trust him,” Adrien mouths to her. 

“Come on, Tikki, you agree with me right?” Plagg asks, now reaching his hands out towards her. 

“Uh huh, sure I do,” Tikki chimes unconvincingly. 

Adrien stands up, twisting back and forth and making his spine pop like a symphony. He lets out a relieved breath, then turns down to Marinette, extending a hand down towards her. 

Marinette blinks at his hand, but slowly sets her hand in his. Adrien lifts her off the ground and she gives him a smile. 

“Well you two, good luck tomorrow with auditions. You both have worked so hard to get here, so don’t disappoint us but…” Tikki speaks, approaching the dancers and setting her hands on both of their shoulders. “Most importantly don’t dissapoint yourselves.”

“We won’t,” Marinette says firmly, exchanging a look with Adrien. 

Plagg joins the little circle. “Good class today, kiddos. Now take it easy for the rest of the day, you guys deserve it.”

Adrien falters, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. _Take it easy? It’s been awhile since he’s done that_. With the pressure from his father, this dance intensive, _The Akuma_, practicing, attempting to fall asleep…

He looks over to Marinette. Who was probably thinking the same thing with that expression on her face. Her bluebell eyes stare blankly at Plagg. 

Adrien chuckles. “We can try.”

Marinette nods along. “I don’t even know what free time is anymore,” she adds. 

The two dancing teachers sigh. “Typical dance teens,” Plagg lolls.

“But seriously rehearse the dance a _few_ times if you must, but try to chill out for today. You both got this,” Tikki encourages, squeezing both of their shoulders tighter. 

Marinette relaxes under her touch while Adrien promises to do his best. 

The group then says their goodbyes, making fun of Plagg a little more before finally shuffling out of the classroom. 

“See you all tomorrow before auditions then!” Marinette calls, saluting them as she begins to turn away to exit the building. 

To go back to her apartment to do who knows what. _Free time? When has she even had time like that?_ She chuckles under her breath, wondering if she could finally start another project or maybe take a stroll around town again. Who knows what she could go and discover now that she has the _whole_ rest of the day to—

“Marinette!” Adrien shouts, jogging lightly up beside her. 

Marinette jumps at the sudden noise, but she finds herself grinning as Adrien walks next to her. “What’s up?” She asks light-heartedly. 

His smile slowly begins to widen across his entire face. “Since both of us officially have nothing to do since Plagg and Tikki banned us from dancing…” Adrien starts, adjusting his shoulder bag. He then raises a mischievous brow at her. “Want to get some ice cream?”

~

“Seriously, how could you have _not_ come to an ice cream parlor all those years?” Marinette ponders aloud, as Adrien and her sit comfortably at a window booth in _Baskin Robbins_. After she shoves another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, she lets out a long content breath, and lets her shoulders drop down. “I would have _died_.”

Adrien chuckles as he begins to dig out another spoonful out of his cup. “I don’t know, if I’m being completely honest with you. I’m glad you introduced ice cream back into my life, though I’m definitely not as addicted to it as you are.”

Marinette points her spoon at him. “I’m _not_ addicted. Just got a very… _very_ big sweet tooth.”

“Sure you do,” Adrien chides. 

“Well… growing up in a bakery it’s almost weird if you _don’t_ have a sweet tooth, but then again it’s kind of bad because now I know how to bake up all the different desserts whenever I want to,” Marinette mumbles. 

“You grew up in a bakery?” Adrien asks eagerly, his jaw gaping as his spoon idles in the air. 

Marinette nods, smiling bitter-sweetly. “That’s right. Had to be up everyday at seven in the morning to help out with the different breads and pastries. Papa would always make fun of how messy I was while doing it, he always claimed that I came out of the kitchen with flour all over me or frosting smudged all over my cheek…” Marinette explains passionately, her blue eyes now transitioning to the otherside of the window. 

To where people walk along the sidewalks with phones put up to their ears, carrying multiple bags. Where little multi-colored cars were being driven casually along the roads. She finds herself leaning against the window, staring at the outside world. 

“Yeah it was… really nice,” Marinette breathes. 

Adrien sits there for a moment, scanning every feature of her. How her black-blue hair tied up in a messy bun sits naturally on her head. Stray hairs fall out and her bangs cover her forehead acting as a frame to outline porcelain face. Where little freckles dot themselves along her nose and cheeks, and a somber look stays on her expression. 

He finds himself setting his half-eaten ice cream bowl down on the table. “You must really miss it there, huh?”

Marinette turns to look back at him, and hesitates before merely shrugging. “Of course I do. I miss my parents… and my best friend. But if I’m being completely honest, having the opportunity to be here in London right now has been one of the most thrilling times of my life,” Marinette speaks, a new light igniting behind her eyes. 

“I’ve met people who are just like me, who have the same passions and dreams. I’ve had people who have already inspired me to be a better dancer like Tikki, Plagg, and _you_. I’ve met so many new people, learned so many new things, and seen so many new things… it’s all really…” her voice starts off strong, but then it eventually softens as she goes on, like she was trying to find the right words to say. 

“_Miraculous_,” Adrien finishes for her, softly smiling at her because he knew exactly how she felt. 

She returns his smile. “Exactly,” she agrees. She leans up again, stretching backwards and yawning. “So now you know that I’m from a bakery, but what do you want me to know about you?” Marinette chides.

“Well…” Adrien starts, tilting his head at her as he starts to think of what he wants to tell her in the first place. “I like to dance.”

“_Wow_ I would have never guessed,” Marinette says sardonically, pretending to make her eyes go wide. 

Adrien chuckles, as he looks down at his ice cream. “Dance just… has always been there for me. It seems like I was doing pirouettes before I was walking, and was doing sashays down the hallways at school. It’s basically… all I do,” Adrien explains sheepishly. 

“Well that’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re passionate about it, and you’re outstanding at it,” Marinette praises, scooping the last of her ice cream onto her spoon and into her mouth. 

Adrien rubs the back of his neck. “Thank you... I also have been learning Chinese since I was young, know how to play a little bit of piano, but my true passion is dancing. That’s what I plan on doing whether people support me in it or not.”

Marinette tilts her head at the end of his sentence. “What do you mean—”

Adrien stands up from the table, picking up his bowl and offering to take hers too. “You want to walk around the city a little bit before we wrap up?” He asks quickly. 

Marinette nods, handing him her bowl and thanking him. 

But the desolate look behind his eyes was really throwing her off.

~

The two aspiring dancers meander around the quiet streets of London, as the sun finally begins to fade, setting the sky ablaze in bright oranges and yellows. 

Marinette looks up to the sky, taking it all in, and breathing it all out. While Adrien walks steadily next to her. 

“You think you’re ready for the auditions tomorrow then?” Marinette finally says, breaking the soft silence that was between them. 

His previous comment had made an impact on her, but she decided that it wasn’t the time and her place to be asking more questions about it. She would let him decide if he would really want to open up and tell her or not. 

Adrien shrugs. “I did the best that I could today, and I’m just hoping my dedication will leak into tomorrow's performance.”

Marinette tosses her head from side to side as she continues to look up at the sky. “Working hard pays off, trust me on that. But it’s always good to have hope.”

“I guess that’s true,” Adrien says, slowly stopping along the sidewalk. 

Marinette halts as well, now turning towards him with a dejection tugging at her heart. She looks around her, only to grin then break into a sprint. 

Adrien perks at her sudden movement, taking a moment to process that she was running away from him. “Wait! Marinette where are you going?” Adrien shouts as he chases after her, only to realize where she was taking him. 

“Hurry up!” Marinette calls over her shoulder, with her dance bag hopping up and down as she runs. 

Adrien finds himself smiling sincerely as he clutches his own dance bag closer to him as he chases after her. 

Marinette finally slows to a stop, breathing heavily as she stares at the view. 

Adrien stops at her side, staring over the scenery with heaping gratitude. 

There before both of them is the same park where they had seen one another not only a few days ago, and now look where they were. Both growing a little closer each day as they both strive to become the best dancers they could be. 

The sun reflects off the water, making the lake shine and ripple as various species of birds swim around in it. The sun peaks it’s way through the thick, full leaves of the trees, making its final appearance as it warms the dancers faces. The wind whistles, and the soft rustle of the trees make both the dancers stand there in awe. 

Marinette slowly begins to lower herself and her bag onto the ground, and digs her hand into the lush grass, and looks up to Adrien as to offer him a seat. 

He gladly obliges.

Marinette closes her eyes for a moment, taking in the silence and trying to come up with the words to say. And finally after a long comforting silence of the nature around them, Marinette softly says, “How about this… meet me here at this park at around six thirty in the morning. Then we can run through our dances in front of each other and critique little details. Then we don’t have to be so nervous.”

Adrien sits there for a moment, just looking at her. Her face outlined in the fading colors of the sun. He shifts on the ground, sitting criss-crossed. “I would really like that.”

Marinette opens her eyes, smiling widely as she leans back on her arms. “And I guess after that when we arrive at tomorrow's auditions… all we can do is _hope_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as you can see... I have a huge obsession with ice cream-
> 
> Come bug me on Insta!! :D  
@_sidereal_11

**Author's Note:**

> HOWDY! Welcome to my first fan fiction in the span of ever. I am actually really surprised that this is really happening and I'm posting actual writing onto the internet. ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy the story thus far, and buckle up it's gonna be a bumpy ride folks! So I hope you continue this journey along with Marinette, Adrien, and I! And comment as well, I really enjoy interacting with my readers! I plan to try to post the next chapter in about a week, Love ya'll! :)  
<3//sidereal


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